This Thing Called Love
by Ellimere Ancelstierre
Summary: After 8 years of absence since Hogwarts, Hermione finally writes to Harry. Hermione is single, and Harry has Cho. Can they realise the importance of being in each other's lives before Cho sinks her teeth into Harry? Totally HPHG. UPDATED!Chapter 10 up!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** The original idea of the Harry Potter series is property of J.K Rowling alone.

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Flashback: **_7th year, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Gryffindor Common Room, 26th December_**

"_So, have you decided?", Harry asked, moving his queen across the chessboard. _

_They were the only ones in the common room. The rest of the Gryffindors were home for the holidays. Including the Weasleys. It was the first Christmas that Ron didn't spend at Hogwarts since 1st year. Ron, of course, felt bad for having to leave them. He even offered for them to come with him. They politely refused. They knew it was the Weasley's first Christmas since 5th year with Percy. Both him and Hermione felt the Weasleys would want some time alone._

_Hermione looked up from the pieces. _

"_No. I don't know yet. Mother says I should probably continue my studies. She said that since she and my dad were both dentists, I should probably take up Healing. Professor McGonagall said I should, too"_

"_But what do you want to do?", Harry said as his queen smashed Hermione's bishop mercilessly. _

"_What do you mean?" Hermione asked him, puzzled. _

"_Hermione, all I've heard about every time I ask you the question, is someone else's recommendation of what you should do. Never about what you want to do", Harry replied, looking at her._

_She sighed. _

"_That's the problem, Harry. I don't know what I want. Sometimes I think I'd like being an auror. Other times, I …. I ….I just don't know'. She fell silent for a moment. _

"_This decision is really important to me. And I don't want to mess up my future just because I made a stupid choice deciding what I want to be'. Hermione looked at the common room fire. _

'_So I end up asking people about what they think I should do", she finished, folding her hands in her lap as she laid back into the armchair. _

_Harry looked at her. She looked confused, sitting there, playing with her fingers. He could see the reflection of light from the fire in her eyes. Funny, he thought. I've never noticed how beautiful her eyes were._

"_So, have you made up your mind, Harry?", Hermione asked as she looked up at him. _

_Harry shook himself. "Wh-what?" _

_Hermione blushed. She had caught him looking at her eyes intently. What was he thinking about? _

_She repeated her question to him. _

"_Oh, an auror, I suppose", he replied. "Still, that depends on my N.E.W.T results", _

"_Well, at least you've set your mind on what you want to do. What about Ron?"_

"_Him? Said something about quidditch. He also said he had the holidays to think about his future', Harry grinned. "You know Ron"._

_Hermione laughed. She brought her knees up to her chin."How come you're not doing quidditch either, Harry? You're good at it" Hermione asked, looking at him._

"_I don't know. The training and all? Maybe not for me. I don't think it'll suit my life in the future", he replied as his queen dethroned Hermione's king. "Checkmate"._

_Hermione smiled. She shook her head. "I'll never be good at chess", _

_He laughed. "You probably just need a few more practices.' He started putting away the pieces and the board. _

"_Hmm. And maybe a miracle or two", she replied, smiling. Harry grinned.

* * *

_

"Hermione? Hermione, dear. Are you ready?", called her father's voice from downstairs. It shook her from her reverie.

"Yes", she answered, as she grabbed her suitcase and passport. _Well_, _in a few hours you'll get to see him in person._ With that thought, she opened the door and proceeded to descend the stairs.

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**A/N: **I know it seems really really short, but I promise it'll be longer in the 3rd chapter. I've noticed that the number of hits for chapter 1 were higher than chapter 2 by a very large difference. I guess many got turned off because this chapter is too short. I promise, it's going to get longer, just stay on board, and click the to go to the 2nd chapter. The 3rd chapter's length is satisfactory! I promise! 

xoxox,

**Ellie**.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Okay, thanks for still hanging in there…this chapter, I admit, is still very short, but move on to the third chapter, promise, it'll be longer!

**A/N 2:** I know, I know. You're probably thinking that I'm just trying to trick you into reading the next chapter. Don't worry, I'm not. D

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Harry woke up with the alarm clock ringing in his ears. 

He quickly shut it off. Outside it was still dark. He could barely see Hedwig's blurry outline, perched at the foot of his bed.

"Back, Hedwig?" he said as he reached for his glasses.

The snowy owl gave an affectionate hoot as he untied the letter from her leg. She then flew to her cage, thirsty for water.

In the moonlight crawling in from his window, he could barely see the name of the sender on the envelope. When he saw it, his heart stopped.

_Hermione Granger._

He quickly ripped the envelope off and read the letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_Can I meet you in Diagon Alley today? In Flourish and Blotts, at 4.00. I really hope you can come._

_Love, __Hermione._

Harry turned the paper over, expecting to see more of the neat, cursive handwriting. There was none.

He looked at the paper in confusion. After 8 years of not seeing each other, that's all? Thoughts race across his mind. _Is she in trouble?_ He quickly got off his bed, scribbled a quick '_Yes' _and tied it to Hedwig's leg. She hooted sleepily, annoyed that he wanted her to fly again so soon.

"Sorry, Hedwig. It's just a short trip. To Diagon Alley, that's all", he said as he finished tying the letter.

Hedwig ruffled her feathers and quickly took flight. With that done he grabbed his towel, and headed into the shower.

---

Hermione arrived at the airport at 10.00 that morning. It really had been a short flight from France. _Too short. _

After claiming her luggage, she quickly headed to a café nearby. She really needed a cup of coffee to calm herself. _Plus_, she reminded herself, _I haven't had breakfast yet_. So she ordered herself a muffin.

Her mind kept wandering off to the meeting with Harry.

He was the only one she had told of her coming. Even Ron didn't know. Of course, him being so busy with Quidditch, how can he even come? True, Hermione had cut herself off her friends and the magical world after Hogwarts. It really wasn't anybody's fault. She just felt she had to get away from all that after Voldermort's defeat at the end of 7th year.

But that doesn't mean she doesn't keep up to date with it. Subscribing to Daily Prophet, she knew Harry had become a famous Auror, true to his ideals since their little chat during their 7th year. Ron, had opted for a Quidditch career, becoming one of the Chasers in Puddlemere United.

Herself ?

She sighed, picking at the muffin. After Voldermort's defeat, she went back to her parents' house. A few years later, they moved to France, where she took up Dentistry, following her mother's advice. After finishing her degree, she decided that her heart really wasn't in it. She had no passion or real interest in doing what she did. Sure, memorizing facts and figures were simple, but after a year managing her parents' practice, she had had enough. Going to work felt like a chore, completing it at the end of the day being the goal.

After discussing with her parents, they finally relented. And now, here she is, about to head back into the world that she left behind 8 years ago.

She sighed. She didn't even know why she bothered to board a plane. She could have easily apparated herself here. It's not like she couldn't or anything. She just felt that apparating would have been just too quick. A couple of hours in a plane was_ not_ going to change anything. The meeting was set, anyway. Flourish and Blotts, 4.00 pm.

Hermione ate one or two bites of her muffin and drank what remained in her cup. Then, she made her way out of the airport and stopped to hail a taxi. _I'll be a muggle for a while. At least until 4.00._

With that thought she got into the taxi and it made it's way towards Leaky Couldron. She could take her time with things. After all, she had until 4, didn't she?

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**A/N: **Okay, now move on to the third, click, click on the ' ' button! Much love to you guys who do!

Mwahh!

xoxox,

**Ellie. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Airalynn:** thnx for your reviews! enjoy..

**snHP892:** i will...i love this story too much to let it go...but i will stop if there's a test or something...but only for a while.. )

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Harry stared at himself in front of the mirror, debating to go with the green turtleneck or the black one. The digital alarm clock on his bedside table read 8.00 am. _Like it matters. I'm just going to work. Like any other day._

"No, it's not any other day", he said out loud as he put on the green turtleneck. _I'm meeting someone today_. _Hermione_.

He tried to imagine her, how would she look like since the last time he saw her? Has she changed? Harry sighed as he pocketed his wand and put his glasses on. After having a quick breakfast, he put his cloak on, and apparated himself to work.

He reached the Ministry a moment later. It was full of wizards and witches, all looking anxious to get somewhere. Harry entered the Defence department not a moment too soon.

"Harry? Oi! Anybody seen him, yet?", shouted someone from behind a cubicle.

"I'm here", Harry said, rounding the cluttered table.

Behind it, sat Seamus Finnigan, Harry's school mate from Hogwarts. He was wearing a blue shirt, with stains of probably last night's dinner. Harry thought he could make out the red stain of _something_ else too. Very near the collar of the shirt.

"Oh, there you are Harry." 'Diane owled me and asked me to tell you she can't come today. Something about not feeling well', he continued. ' Mmm…and Kellerman said he wanted to speak to you about something. Said to tell you to come to his desk as soon as you got here", he finished, looking at him curiously. "Is it another case of those Death Eaters in Ghorlsgole again? God, if it's them again..", Seamus said, putting a hand to his forehead.

"No, no. At least, not that I'm aware of. The last time I heard of them, we already threw the whole lot of them in Azkaban. I think it's just nothing. You know Kellerman", Harry said, looking at someone above Seamus's cubicle. "Speaking of him, there he is. Look, thanks for telling me. Catch you later", Harry smiled at Seamus.

Seamus nodded and returned to his paper work.

Harry followed Kellerman into his office.

"You wanted to see me, sir?", he asked as he entered the room. "Ah, yes. Sit down, sit down, boy. Oh, close the door first, would you?", he motioned at the door. Harry closed the door behind him and sat in the chair.

"Alright, you remembered me telling you about the new addition to our department?'. He'd forgotten about it. Completely.

"Anyway, it turns out it's a she, not a he, like I told you. It's not a problem for you, is it?", he looked at Harry closely.

"No, not at all sir"

"Good. Because you're the only one I trust with this. Anyone else has bad judgment. I need you to keep a close eye on this one. I don't want it to turn into another Jasper case. That cost us a lot, that one", Kellerman sighed. Kellerman was an old man, around 50. His hair was white, and he wore it in a navy cut. His manner and office could give you a rough idea of who he is. Harry found that ever since he worked here, he liked the old man. His manner was crisp, always straight to the point. He could also be kind, at times, as Harry had found out.

"So, I trust you can show her the ropes? She's qualified. Very qualified from what I've been told. Of course, that doesn't always mean we should trust her. So remember, boy. Keep an eye on her", Kellerman continued, seriously. "You should probably expect her sometime today. I'll tell her to go to you after she's reported to me. Remember, boy constant vigilance", Kellerman reminded him.

Harry nodded and excused himself out. When he shut the door behind him, he chuckled. _Constant Vigilance_. Where had he heard that before? Right. Moody.

Harry walked to his office, just next door to Kellerman's. The plaque on the door said: 'Head Auror'. He entered it and closed the door behind him. He sighed and sunk into the sofa in his office. This is too much. _I hope she turns up before 3.00pm. Then I'll at least have a chance to be on time for the meeting with Hermione._ Harry sighed. He got up, and flung the folder containing the new auror's details on his table. Kellerman had given it to him before he got out. He didn't even bother to read the folder.

Harry sat at his chair and started at his paperwork. He had a lot of it left to do. Especially since lately he's been busy with the Death Eaters' cases. The number of them just keeps on existing. To be precise, since 3 years ago. Most of them probably thought Voldemort was coming back. Bored, probably after 5 years of lying low. And now that Diane, his personal assistant isn't here, he didn't even know about today's schedule. _Oh well, go with the flow, I guess_. He'll take his chances. He reached for the nearest paperwork. _Best get started, I suppose_.

---

Hermione's cab stopped right in front of Leaky Cauldron. She paid the driver, got her luggage and walked towards bar. The muggles just walked past the place, without even looking at it. Oblivious to the existence of it.

She walked into it, and requested for a room for the night's stay.

"Sure. Nice one just up the stairs", replied Tom the innkeeper. He offered to take her luggage and she relented. She followed him up the stairs, then waited while he fished a key from his pocket. He unlocked the door and placed her luggage on the floor with a slight thud. The room had a very comfortable bed in it and a wooden wardrobe situated next to a fireplace. It looked very welcoming.

"Thank you", she said, smiling at the old man.

"You're welcome. Enjoy your stay", Tom replied with a crooked smile.

Hermione made herself comfortable. She opened the windows to let the sunshine in. Then, she changed from her traveling clothes into something a little more appropriate. A plain, black dress and a string of pearls to go with it. Extremely smart and serious. Perfect for an overall first impression of someone to be reckoned with. Just what she needed for reporting for the new job. But she needed a new cloak. Her old one just doesn't seem nice enough.

She put her cloak on and headed downstairs. From there she went straight to the backdoor. The bartender didn't seem to mind, simply used to it. She tapped the bricks with her wand, and watched as the bricks rearranged themselves to reveal Diagon Alley. She smiled, knowing how she used to walk these streets with Ron and Harry to complete her school shopping list. She headed straight for Madame Malkin's. She needed a new cloak. A nicer one.

When she opened the door, an odd-sound rang. Probably the bell.She walked around the shop, looking for a suitable cloak. After finding what she wanted, she went over to the counter to pay for it. The person sitting behind it was busy arranging the books on the shelf. Hermione noticed some of the titles were _Measuring: An Art_ and also _Wizard Fashion: What's Hot and What's Not_.

Then, the young woman who was arranging the books turned and Hermione gasped. It was Lavender. Lavender looked her same pretty self, with her hair artistically put up in a complicated style. She was looking very stylish, although Hermione could see signs of weariness in her eyes.

"Hermione?" Lavender said, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Lavender…hi", Hermione said, holding out her hand. Lavender gaped at her for a moment, then shook her hand.

"Sorry…I mean, it's been such a long time, you know", Lavender said half-apologetically. "And.. look at you. I mean, you've changed. You look great", Lavender said approvingly as she looked Hermione up and down. "Oh, sorry. Let me ring that up for you", she continued as she took the cloak from Hermione's hand. Lavender wrapped it up and handed the parcel to her.

Hermione paid her. After an awkward silence, she thought it best if she said something.

"So…what have you been doing?" Hermione asked her with a polite smile. She never was that close to Lavender.

"Oh, you know, nothing much. I'm just managing this,' she said, gesturing to the store, ' by myself until Aunt Mal is feeling better. She's taken a bad case of the cold", Lavender replied.

"So, this is just part-time?"

"No, actually. Aunt Mal was thinking of letting me manage the business. Said it was time she handed the business to someone",

"Oh, well, congratulations then', Hermione said.

"Thank you", replied Lavender.

Just as Lavender was about to say something else, the door opened and a customer entered. While the customer was looking at a few robes, Lavender dropped her voice and said to Hermione, " Listen, there's so much I want to talk to you about. I know we were never close, but I really want to talk to you about something. And I think it's important. Sort of, anyway. Can you come for lunch with me tomorrow?"

Hermione wasn't so sure. "I…umm..sure", she answered. What was she supposed to say, anyway? _Oh, I don't know, Lavender. I have to go report for a new job and if they don't hire me, I'll probably be gone tomorrow just like what I did 8 years ago._ A success _that_ would be.

"Great! See you tomorrow, then", Lavender said as she squeezed Hermione's hand gratefully. With that, she smiled and went over to the customer.

Hermione smiled back, opened the door and stepped outside. She sighed as she made her way towards the Leaky Cauldron. She made her way through the crowd, thoughts wondering to what Lavender said. '… _I really want to talk to you about something. And I think it's important'_. What could be so important? Hermione brushed off her thoughts as she reached the pub. She probably just wants to know about her love life or something like that. Lavender was always nosy. Especially about someone else's love life.

_I guess some things don't change, after all_. Hermione unlocked her door and stepped inside. She rummaged through her luggage and found what she was looking for. A brown briefcase. She opened it, checked a few papers and with that, apparated herself to the Ministry of Magic.

---

Harry put his quill down. That was the last of it. All of it. He sighed contentedly and leaned into his comfortable armchair. He closed his eyes for a few seconds then opened them again. _The new auror's details_. He hadn't taken a single look of it yet. He had to at least know who he was. Oh, right. _She_.

Harry was just about to reach for the folder containing the new auror's details when someone knocked on his door. He got up to get the door, but it opened before he got to it. Standing there was Kellerman, and he had a pretty amused expression on his face.

"Potter, I'd like you to meet our newest addition to the department. She'll be learning a few things from you during her first few months here". With that, he stood aside to let someone in.

Harry drew a sharp intake of breath when he saw who the figure was.

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**A/N:** Thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate it. Don't forget to review for this chapter, too! Thanks a gazillion!

**Ellie.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Airalynn:** thnx for reviewing...again! love you, girl: D

**snHP892:** yup...it's Hermione.Do you think I should write longer chapters?Hope you enjoy this chappie... : )

**Kamal:** thnx, kamal. where are you from, anyway? anywhere i know?

**The Gryffindor Drummer:** thnx for your review! enjoy...

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There, standing right in front of him, was Hermione. Harry wasn't prepared for this. He was, after all, expecting her at 4 later that day. 

"Her- Hermione?" he asked, disbelief in his eyes. Harry wasn't sure what to say. So he did what his brain told him to. Say the first thing that came to his mind. "What..what are you doing here?"

Kellerman was looking at both of them, raising his eyebrows. "Hmm, well, it seems Miss Granger here was speaking the truth after all. You do know each other. I suppose the story about you helping Potter here defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is true too?" he asked Hermione. The look of amusement he had on when he entered was definitely gone by now. Harry thought it was probably there in the first place because he didn't believe Hermione. Who would?

She doesn't look like the Hermione _he_ knew from Hogwarts. She was _definitely_ prettier. No, _beautiful_. Her eyes were still the lovely pair of hazel brown eyes he loved to see greet him everyday during those Hogwarts days. And her hair was still the shade of brown that gave warmth to her face whenever he saw her. But apart from that, she'd changed. Her smile was still the same, though Harry could sense for a moment that something wasn't quite right about it. Some sadness had creep into the smile. And her hair was silky, no longer bushy and untamed. But she was in all, _beautiful_. There was no other word for it. She _had_ grown up, Harry could see _that_ plain as day. But of course, noting that his best friend was attractive doesn't mean he liked her in _that_ way, does it?

"Yes", Hermione answered. She was fidgeting with her hands, suddenly nervous. But definitely not of Kellerman.

"Alright. Well, I guess that's all then. Potter, do you mind showing her around?" Kellerman asked Harry, pausing at the door frame.

"No, no. Of course not", Harry said, flashing a smile.

"See you later then, Granger, Potter", Kellerman said as he got out and closed the door behind him.

Hermione averted her eyes from the closed door to Harry.

"Well, I certainly didn't get the owl about our meeting being forwarded so early", Harry said, smiling. Hermione, who didn't know what to say, laughed.

"Oh, you're still the same, Harry", and she went over to him and hugged him.

"So, what's wrong?" Harry said as she sat down on the sofa.

"Whatever made you say that?" Hermione replied, confused of Harry's sudden change of demeanour.

Harry didn't answer quickly. He walked over to his window and gazed out into the hills. "Well, I thought that you know, something wrong or important must've happened… seeing that you're back in our world for the first time since 8 years ago", he said. He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice though, and Hermione caught it.

"What are you making at, Harry?" Hermione responded, a little angry at his tone.

"You know what I'm saying, 'Mione",

Harry turned to look at her. She looked angry. "Are you saying, Harry, that I hadn't given _any_ thought before I left?"

"Well, you certainly made it seem so", he spat out. "Not even a letter, not even one from you. Not even a single- .."

"I did, Harry. I told you I was fine, didn't I? When Ron and you kept owling me about it" Hermione cut him off angrily.

"I would hardly call it a letter", Harry said under his breath.

Both of them fell silent for a moment.

"Look', Hermione began again after a long, uncomfortable pause. 'I came back because I want to make a fresh start. And I was really hoping Ron and you understood what I was going through when I left. To make it easier for me', Hermione said slowly. ' I'm really sorry about not telling the both of you why I did it. And I am regretting it now. But Harry, you have to believe me, I did it because I needed some time away. Especially after the last battle with Voldermort", she finished off, looking at Harry.

Harry was still silent.

"Harry, are you still mad at me?" Hermione asked him as she got up and walked over to where he was standing. After a moment of silence, Harry turned around and smiled slowly.

"Of course not' he said as he enveloped her in a hug. "But I want you to know that if you ever feel you need some time alone or if you have any problems, you can always tell me and Ron, okay?" Harry said as they drew apart.

"Sure", said Hermione.

"So, can you give me a tour of this place?" Hermione said as she linked arms with Harry. "Hold on, let me just get my briefcase", he replied as Hermione opened the door. "Oh, and Harry, introduce me to others, will you? I can't bear being the new person around here". And with that, they headed out of Harry's office.

---

Kellerman was sitting in his office, reading a report from one of the aurors. His mind wandered for a while, somewhat exhausted from the task of reading. He set down the paper and leaned back in his chair. A slow smile crept to his face.

During the awkward introduction between Harry and Hermione, he had noticed a few things. He was, after all, an old man. And he was pretty sure he had sensed something between those two. He'd lived long enough to see when two people were attracted to each other. _Best friends, huh? This'll be interesting._ He chuckled, before proceeding to return to his work.

---

"Hey, Hermione, do you remember Seamus?" Harry asked Hermione as they walked through the department, introducing Hermione to various people.

"Yes. Why? What's he doing now?" she asked, interested.

"Why don't you ask him yourself", Harry said as they stopped at a cubicle. The person sitting in it was drinking a cup of coffee, sipping the hot drink slowly as he read the Daily Prophet.

"Seamus", Harry said as he tapped the sandy-haired figure on the shoulder. "I want to introduce you to someone".

Seamus turned around, raised an eyebrow to their linked arms and said pleasantly, "Hello, Harry. And who's this?' he asked, looking at Hermione. 'I swear, Harry, you keep getting beautiful women to accompany you. But you've really outdone yourself this time. At this rate -…." Seamus trailed off.

"No, she's not a date. She's a new addition to our department", Harry cut him off, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh", replied Seamus lamely. "Well, hello then. Sorry about that, it's just that Harry does have the reputation of being 'The Most Eligible Bachelor' as said in The Witches' Weekly. So I thought that you know….' Seamus wriggled his eyebrows. Hermione laughed. Harry got even redder. "Just kidding, Miss…?" he asked Hermione.

"Granger. Hermione Granger", Hermione replied, extending her hand to Seamus.

Seamus gaped at her. Realizing, he shook her hand. "Hermione? Hogwarts Hermione?" he asked, surprised. Hermione nodded.

"You see how ridiculous your comments are, now?" Harry asked him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah…but I mean, you have to admit, you two did look like a great coup-…. Never mind. So, what brings you here?" Seamus asked Hermione as he sat down on his chair.

"Oh, I just thought you know, I was bored doing muggle work so, why not try something I actually love doing, instead", Hermione said. "And umm, I'm not entirely sure as to how Harry comes into all this..", she said.

"I'm supposed to be supervising her. Kellerman told me to. Just for a few months though. He's afraid this is going to turn out a Jasper case again", Harry said to Seamus. Seamus scoffed.

"Come on, this is Hermione we're talking about. Not some weirdo who claims he's qualified to be an auror, or something like that", Seamus said and drank his coffee.

"Yeah, I know. But still, orders are orders. I'm just agreeing to it", Harry said. "He said you were very qualified though. Probably that's what put him on guard." Harry continued, looking at Hermione.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Jasper case? What is it about?", she asked.

"Well, there used to be some problems back when we took a lot of recruits for the department. And there's this weird guy, Cade Jasper, one of the new recruits. Extremely qualified. After a few weeks of training, everyone agreed he was good and he got hired. Then we came up with a Death Eater case in Whales. It was all planned out, the capture, I mean. And that sleazebag ratted us out. Turns out _he's_ a Death Eater", Seamus explained, shaking his head. He downed the last of what remained in his cup.

"After that, Kellerman had it drummed into his head to be cautious of new recruits", Harry summarized. Hermione remained silent, thinking. "Of course, I think he's off your case now he knew that you were involved in defeating Voldermort", Harry continued, reassuring her. Hermione smiled at him.

"So where are you living now, Hermione?" Seamus asked.

"Yeah, where?" Harry was surprised he himself didn't ask her that question.

"Oh, I haven't gotten a real place yet. I'm just staying at the Leaky Cauldron for a while", Hermione replied.

Harry was thinking. After a moment, he spoke. "You know, 'Mione, I have a spare bedroom in my house. So, you can live with me if you want to", he offered.

A smile slowly crept to her lips. "Really?', Hermione asked, not believing him.

"Yeah, I mean, it's so quiet in that house anyway. I'll be glad of company." Harry stated truthfully. His house was big. Having someone else around will be a great comfort. Somehow, having Hermione around all the time didn't seem such a bad idea. In fact, he seemed to like it very much.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione said as she hug him. "Thank you, so much". She gave him a friendly peck on the cheek.

"No problem", Harry said, squeezing her hand. "You want to take the rest of the day off? I did plan to, anyway. For the meeting at 4.00", Harry continued, looking at her. She looked doubtful, though.

"Are you sure we can? I mean…", she began.

"Don't worry, I told Kellerman already." Harry assured her.

"Oh, in that case, then, alright", she said, smiling.

"Catch you later, Seamus." Harry said.

"Yeah, sure. Nice talking to you, Hermione", he replied, returning to his Daily Prophet.

"You, know Harry', Hermione said as soon as they were out of earshot. ' I can't help but notice his shirt. Especially his collar", she finished as they stepped into the elevator.

Harry chuckled. "Seamus hardly makes up his mind about women. He changes his girlfriend as frequent as his shirt", he said.

"But…just now, his shirt –" Hermione began.

"I know. It looks like he didn't spend his night at his apartment, after all", Harry continued, smiling. "This is the second time I've seen him like that. And the current girlfriend is the longest, so far. Three weeks", Harry said holding up his fingers.

"Looks like he's keeping this one", Hermione said, laughing. Harry laughed too.

The elevator door opened. A blonde, pretty woman entered. She was wearing a revealing red dress, that gave away the fact that she had a _great_ body. She looked at Hermione critically before looking at Harry. Her expression changed from despise to pleasure.

"Oh, Harry! I'm _so_ sorry. You must have had a hard time today without me. I wasn't feeling well this morning. But I am now. Oh! Where are you going? You're taking the day off?", she said in an annoying, sugary voice.

"Umm, yes, Diane. I just wanted to spend some time with Hermione", said Harry, looking unruffled with Diane's face so close to his. "Oh', he said, realizing something. "This is Hermione Granger. She's a close friend of mine, and a new auror working with us", he introduced them. "And 'Mione, this is Diane Fébersé. She's my personal assistant."

Diane look daggers at Hermione. Hermione extended her hand to Diane. The pretty blonde didn't take it. She just turned her attention back to Harry.

"So, you're just going to leave me alone?" she asked, pouting. Her hand was touching his hair.

"You'll be fine, Diane. Look, maybe you should just take the rest of the day off, seeing as I'm out", Harry suggested.

Diane, pouted more. "Oh, alright. But you're coming tomorrow, right?" she said. Harry nodded. The elevator slowed to a stop.

"This is us", Hermione spoke for the first time since Diane appeared. She quickly got out of the elevator, holding, or rather, pulling Harry's hand with her.

"Nice meeting you, Harmony", Diane said sweetly, and gave her a false smile. "Bye, Harry!", she said, blowing a kiss to Harry as the elevator doors closed.

---

"Interesting woman", Hermione said to Harry when they were in Diagon Alley, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

"Yeah", Harry replied, smiling at her. '_Slut _'was all she said under her breath. Harry didn't hear her. He was looking at the people around them. She didn't even stop to assess why she felt that way towards Diane. It's not like she's _jealous _or anything. Hermione sat back into her chair, sighed, and looked at Harry. He _was_ good looking. Hermione didn't blame The Witches Weekly one bit for choosing him 'The Most Eligible Bachelor'. He'd grown up from the skinny boy she first met during first year. He'd started doing that since the 6th year, because of Quidditch practice. Or that's when she started noticing, anyway. His hair was still the messy jet-black hair it had always been. And he definitely hasn't changed since Hogwarts.

Hermione smiled. Then, a thought stuck her. _'I don't like him… do I?',_ Hermione shook her head. '_Just because you admitted the fact that your best friend is attractive, doesn't mean anything',_ she assured herself, as she focused her attention to the ice-cream set in front of her. As Harry ate his ice cream, Hermione picked up her spoon, and proceeded to enjoy her treat the same.

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**A/N:** Loved your reviews! Thnx guys! Do you think I should write longer chapters? But that'll mean you have to wait longer for updates. Anyway, thanks again for your wonderful reviews. Oh, and….wink-wink you know what to do now, don't you? Review! Ciao! 

**Ellie.**


	5. Chapter 5

**kelley:** thnx for reviewing! And I'm glad I can make your summer less boring. Summers ARE meant to be fun! LOL D

**The Gryffindor Drummer:** loved your review! Thnx so much!

**Airalynn:** I didn't meant _that_ kind of love… I know you're only joking, lol! Thnx for reviewing! Enjoy…

**Caboodle:** Oh, you mean Diane…she's going to be _annoying _.. really annoying… wait and see..thnx 4 reviewing! Ciao… )

**mysteriouscharm:** yup, freaky! Thnx for reviewing. Read on, my friend… D

**Lady Knight 1512:** thnx! Your stories are cool too!

**snHP892:** I tried to make it longer, but there was an unintelligible buzz in my head while I was writing this chapter. I was tired. Sorry! I'll try next time…thnx for your review!

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It was a week after her return and she was settling in fine. She just had a box left to finish packing her stuff to move into Harry's house. Mostly, what was responsible for getting her distracted was an old album. The one containing pictures of the three of them, her, Harry and Ron at Hogwarts. Those days were long gone. Hermione sighed. 

She was sitting at her desk, looking through the documents Diane had given her yesterday. They contained the dates of her tests. Hermione rolled her eyes just thinking about the blonde. _'But, look at the bright side, at least she's not here today. Don't spoil your day thinking about her when she's not around. The memory is almost as bad as the slut herself'_ Hermione laughed.

Diane wasn't around today, she owled Harry just a moment ago saying she was, once again, 'not feeling very well'. Harry of course, believed her. Hermione sighed. _Men. What they wouldn't do for beautiful women…_

Hermione stopped her reverie when her eyes scanned the page in her hand. It was the list of tests she was supposed to take. It doesn't include _undercover_, does it? Harry probably forgot to tell her. She stood up from her desk and walked towards Harry's office. The door was left open.

"Harry, I can't seem to get it right. I thought the tests that I was supposed to take didn't include …–" Hermione stopped.

She stood transfixed, rooted to the spot because of the sight in front of her. Harry was by the window, talking to somebody softly, holding her hand in his. Hermione could see that he was looking intensely into the young woman's eyes as he talked.

The two figures turned around quickly, interrupted by her appearance in the room. Harry's expression changed when he saw Hermione.

"Umm, 'Mione, I want you to meet somebody. Remember Cho?". _How could she forget?_ Hermione nodded and smiled at him.

The young woman whose face she saw was none other than Cho Chang. She looked no different than when Hermione last saw her, black hair, starry dark eyes and perfect composure.

"Hello, Hermione", Cho said, smiling. "Look, Harry, it looks like you're busy so…we'll meet later?", she said looking imploringly at Harry.

"Yeah, sure", he said and they shared a kiss.

Cho said "Bye", and smiled at Harry and Hermione as she got out of the room.

"So, she's your girlfriend?" Hermione asked, smiling at Harry. He looked uncomfortable.

"I guess you can say that. But we've only been together for two months. Tomorrow is our anniversary. She just came by to remind me of about our date", Harry finished, and sat down sighing.

Hermione looked at him curiously. "You certainly aren't looking right for the occasion. What's up?" she asked concernedly.

'It's just that…well, I kind of forgot to get her something"

"Oh, you're in deep muddle, Harry", Hermione said, laughing at him. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if she blows you off if you don't turn up with a present for her', she continued, shaking her head and smiling.

"What do you suggest I do?" Harry asked her.

"Buy something quickly, of course!" Hermione said, incredulously.

"Can you help me pick something out for her?" Harry asked, taking her hands in his.

"Sure. You know what? Why don't we go look for it after work? What do you say?" she suggested.

"You're great, do you know that?" Harry said as he hugged her.

Hermione laughed. "Hmm, typical. Men", she said laughing.

"Anyway, that settled, I have to ask you something. You know about the series of tests that I was supposed to go through? Well, the undercover test, I'm not sure how to do it. Can you help me?', she asked.

"Sure. What do you have in mind?'

"Well, since I'm to be evaluated during an assignment….', she began.

---

Hermione closed the office door behind her. She had just talked to Kellerman, informing him about the date of her evaluation. She walked to her desk, mulling the plan over in her head. After getting her cloak, she checked her watch. It was exactly 1.10 pm. Then with a quick swish of her wand, apparated to Diagon Alley for her lunch with Lavender.

"Hermione! Hermione, dear!" a voice called out to her.

She quickly scanned the crowd, wanting to find the source of the voice. Her eyes finally focused on a waving brunette, who was sitting at one of the many tables put out by the café. Hermione made her way towards Lavender and joined her at the table. She sat down, but not before Lavender greeted her with a kiss on both sides of the cheek. **_(I bet a lot of you have seen this before. It's like what those filthy rich and stuck-up ladies always do in the movies. You know, when they occasionally say something like 'kiss-kiss, hug-hug' or something like that; and then they move on commenting about how 'disgustingly' beautiful you are and etc.)_**

Hermione responded with a smile. Lavender, it seems, was going through her second cup of coffee. A half-eaten slice of cake was in front of her, which it seems, she was finished with. She signalled for the waiter.

"Would you like to have anything, miss?" the waiter asked. Hermione ordered herself a glass of coke and a plate of lasagne.

As the waiter walked away, Lavender whispered, "Now, about that thing that I wanted to talk to you about..". Lavender trailed the sentence off delicately. Hermione placed her hands on her lap. Lavender seemed hesitant to continue at first.

"You, know, maybe this was a bad idea after all", she said instead, looking at Hermione unsurely. Hermione looked puzzled.

"Lavender, whatever it is that you wanted to tell me, I'm ready to hear about it. Shoot", she said as she leaned into her chair. Hermione pursed her lips and gave Lavender a serious look.

"Well..', Lavender began.

They were suddenly interrupted by the waiter, who was setting Hermione's orders in front of her. Hermione uttered a quick 'thank you' and focused her attention back on Lavender. "You were saying?" she prompted slightly.

Lavender however, was looking longingly at her lasagne. Hermione noticed it. "Have you had lunch, Lavender?" she asked. Lavender nodded and smiled, gesturing to her half-eaten slice of cake in front of her. Hermione raised her eyebrows.

Lavender laughed. "You're always so serious, Hermione. Relax, I'm not broke. I just have to watch what I eat, that's all", she said, patting her flat stomach.

"Why? You look perfectly fine to me", Hermione said as she took a sip from her glass.

"Oh, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. But anyway, that's not why I wanted to talk to you", Lavender said, finishing with the air off brushing a matter off. Hermione was now looking intently at her.

"What I wanted to say was… that Cho had been asking a lot about you lately… Is something going on that I should know?" Lavender asked, raising an eyebrow at Hermione. Hermione shook her head.

"Come on, Hermione, you can always tell me. Are you going out with Harry behind her back?"

_Wh-a-a-a-a-t?!_ Hermione was shocked. She was confused. But thank goodness she recovered quickly enough from her shock to shake her head indignantly. But not quick enough for Lavender to dismiss the whole idea completely, though.

"You don't have to hide from me, Hermione. On the contrary, I think you going out with Harry is perfectly smashing. And behind Cho's back! Now there's something worth doing. Especially since she's been stealing Harry for two months! You know, I have a feeling she might not –" Lavender was talking animatedly, looking as though something magnificent or rather wonderful had just happened.

But Hermione didn't know what Lavender was about to say. Because she had cut her off. "Look, Lavender, I appreciate you letting me know, but… I don't think there is anything going on between me and Harry. At least nothing Cho should worry about, anyway. You can tell her that. We're just best friends, and if Cho can't see that, then she's off her rocker. Because nothing, _nothing_ is going on or ever will be going on between me and Harry", she said, her voice rising slightly.

Lavender was silent, looking at Hermione. A slow smile was creeping along her lips. "You know, you're probably right", she said taking out her purse. She fished out a note and placed it on the table.

Hermione thought Lavender was just about to leave, but she still sat in her chair. Lavender leaned over and said, dropping her voice as she did, "But remember, that Harry's grown up, now. He's not the same person he was when you three; Ron, you and Harry were at Hogwarts. He can afford to love anyone he wants, now. Especially after You-Know-Who was defeated". Lavender paused at Hermione, looking at her still with that smile of hers. "Oh, and just in case you need to talk, here's my number'. She placed a business card on the table.

Lavender stood up, was just about to turn around and walk when she said, " Oh, I almost forgot, Cho wanted me to invite you to a party she's having over at her house on Saturday night".

Hermione looked surprised. She didn't expect _Cho_ of all people to invite _her_.

"You know', she said as she looked at Hermione. "I never knew you three were that close during Hogwarts. But, I suppose being Ron's girlfriend does help you realize a few things. See you Saturday, Hermione", she said as she walked away and disappeared in the crowd.

Hermione sighed as she returned to her now almost cold lunch. _Well, **that** was productive._ She was expecting some kind of bad news, about Ron or something like that. I mean, she knew Lavender was Ron's girlfriend. Nothing new there. The Daily Prophet did report as much. But just now, had _nothing_ to do with Ron, or anything worth thinking over. Hermione took a bite of her lasagne.

Still.. what was Lavender making at? That she liked Harry…in…in _that_ way? Hermione smiled to herself. _Some people,_ she thought, as she proceeded to make use of as much of her lunch break as possible; to finish her lunch. But she did pick up Lavender's card before returning to the office, and pocketed it safely in her purse.

---

The watch on his wrist told him it was 6.00 pm. Harry cleared his desk, grabbed his cloak and headed out of his office. He locked the door behind him silently. Most of the people had gone back, starting early on enjoying their weekend.

He walked silently to the only desk occupied, Hermione's. She was bent over, reaching for something underneath her desk. When she straightened up, and realized he was behind her, she let out a nervous laugh.

"You know, what if it wasn't you here, but a serial killer? I wouldn't have known the difference! The next time you want to speak to me where there's lack of light, please, say something first, Harry. I was honestly scared out of my wits for a moment there", she said as she placed a hand on her chest. Harry grinned.

"What time is it? 6.10 pm. Right… gift shopping for Cho. Come on". She picked up her cloak and briefcase.

"So where are we headed?" Harry asked her as they walked into the elevator together.

"Umm, I was thinking, first, at the jeweller's and from then if you don't find anything, we can move on to Catrina's Shoppe, and if we _still_ don't find anything there, we can always go to –",

"Hermione, do you think she's right for me?" Harry blurted the question out suddenly. Hermione stopped talking.

Harry was looking at her, intently. Hermione swear she could melt in those green eyes of his. She sighed as she took his hand in hers.

"You remember when you told me during our last year, the day after Christmas, that I wasn't making my own decisions?" Hermione asked him softly.

Harry nodded.

"Well, this is the exact same thing. It's for you to decide. Just make sure you think properly before making any decisions. You don't want to make a mistake like I did", Hermione said as she looked at him. She paused, letting a small sigh escape from her lips. "I followed what I _thought_ I _should_ do, instead of what _wanted_ to do. As a punishment, I've wasted 8 years of my life, doing something I was unsure of from the beginning". Here, she averted her eyes to the floor. She looked a bit sad, and Harry thought he could see the tinge of sadness in her smile that he thought he saw for a moment, yesterday when they were in his office. She took a deep breath, and looked into his eyes again. The veil that was lifted for a moment to show her inner feelings dropped again, and she regained her usual matter-of-fact composure. She gave him a smile. "So, it's really your choice, Harry".

The door opened and they stepped out of the elevator.

"Welcome, sir. Can I be of any assistance to you?" asked a petite witch, standing behind a counter.

Both him and Hermione were looking at rings and jewellery on display over the counter.

The witch hovered nearby, waiting to assist in case they needed any help.

Hermione spotted a beautiful ring at once. It was crowned with three diamonds, situated perfectly on a circular band of white gold. The diamonds were in diamond cuts, the biggest of the three being situated in the middle. Hermione walked over to it, wanting to get a look closer. She beckoned Harry to follow her. He did and they peered close at the ring with their faces close to each other.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she whispered as she looked at it. Harry nodded.

The witch walked over to them. "Oh, are you looking for a ring for your fiancé here?" she asked, referring to Hermione. Hermione turned her head to look at Harry for some sign of humour on his face. But even if there was, she couldn't see it. Because as she turned her head, Harry did the same, and the corner of their lips touched briefly. She jerked back slightly, surprised at the unexpected contact. Her cheeks were flushed, embarrassed at what just happened. Had she situated her face differently, her lips would have been full on his. The fact itself was… supposed to be unpleasant, but for some reason, she didn't feel so. In fact, if she had probed herself deeper at that moment, she would have said the exact opposite. But of course, Hermione didn't have time at that short moment.

Harry mouthed a quick "Sorry" to her. He didn't seem to be so embarrassed about the whole situation like she was. In fact, he looked as if _nothing_ had happened. Hermione wondered at this for a while.

"Umm.. no. She… she's not my fiancé. She's a close friend," he answered the witch. The witch was looking at them oddly, as if considering whether to believe Harry or not. "But, I think we'll take that", he continued, pointing at the ring Hermione chose.

Hermione gave him a questioning look, that said_, "Are you sure?"_. Harry nodded surely. The witch took the ring out and placed it on the counter.

"Do you want to try it on first?" she asked Hermione. She apparently, didn't seem quite convinced that the ring wasn't Hermione's.

"Go on", Harry said to her.

She took the ring and wore it on her ring finger. The diamonds glittered on her hand. It was a perfect fit. Harry thought it looked good on her. Hermione took it off immediately after a moment and placed it back in it's case.

"What if it won't fit for Cho?" she asked as the witch behind the counter took it to the back of the shop to wrap it up.

"Then I'll have it resized", Harry answered, looking at her. "But I don't think it needs resizing", he continued.

Hermione looked doubtful for a moment, and finally relented to agree with Harry.

"Hermione, thanks for helping me", Harry said.

"No problem", Hermione said giving him a smile.

"Can you wait for me at Roggioni's? I've booked us a dinner for a treat", Harry said to Hermione. Her face split into a beautiful smile.

"Really? Wow… sure", she said as she hugged him and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek. "Thanks', she whispered as they drew apart. Harry smiled in response.

He saw her to the door, directing her into the direction of the Italian restaurant. He then went back inside the shop for the ring. The witch was already waiting for him with the gift wrapped beautifully. Harry looked uncertain for a moment, then made up his mind.

"Can I have a look at another ring, please?" he said to the witch. The witch looked surprised, raising her eyebrows in the process.

* * *

**A/N: **I know this chapter is kind of boring. But, I'm kind of worn out this week. Too tired. I'll try to do better next time. Sorry if I kind of disappointed you guys. But I really hope you guys still review! I thrive on your reviews! ) 

**Ellie.**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Gryffindor Drummer: wait and see….thnx for reviewing… enjoy**

**Airalynn: hehehe…wait and see…oh! And cho isn't my fav. person either..lol!**

**Mysteriouscharm: thnx….enjoy…**

**greenmonkey: thnx for reviewing! read on... D**

**snHP892: hehehe….thnx for reviewing, amigo!**

**Lady Knight 1512: I don't like cho too, and like you said, it was only apparent during the 5th book…lol! Enjoy, my friend….

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**

"Here", he said as he pulled out the chair for her. Cho sat down, smiling. Harry himself sat and signaled for a waiter. The waiter came quickly and they ordered their meals and drinks. When the waiter was gone, Cho quickly grabbed Harry's attention.

"So, where did you get the bookings for this place? I hear it's very hard to even get through to them", she said as she smiled at him. Harry smiled back.

"Umm, actually, Hermione helped me. She has a few contacts –", Harry started to say, but Cho's pleasing demeanour had changed suddenly. She slowly started to frown, pursing her lips, looking a tad bit annoyed. He stopped talking at once. "What's wrong?" he asked concernedly. His hand reached across the table to take hers but she slipped it off the table. Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Let's –let's not… talk about her", Cho suggested slowly. Then said more cheerfully, " Today's _our _special night. Let's talk about _us._ So, how's work?" she said, a false smile spreading across her face.

Harry played his card well. He didn't want this to turn into another human hosepipe scenario. He played along with her change of topic.

"Umm, fine, I guess", he said looking at her oddly. _Ohh, is she in one of her mood swings again?_

"I see", she said, playing with the napkin. She was controlling an emotion; Harry could see that plainly. He'd rather _not _see that emotion. Because whatever it was, it looked like she was having a hard time controlling it. He could say truthfully he never had a good encounter with her and her suppressed emotions. Never did.

She was twisting the napkin slowly, as if wringing somebody's neck. Harry decided to ease the tension.

"Honey, what's wrong?" he said as he put a hand over hers. He looked into her eyes, wanting to understand what it was that was making her behave like this. She immediately looked up, putting on a sudden smile as she put away the napkin.

"Oh, nothing –nothing.." she said as she leaned back into her chair.

"I don't think it's nothing. Come on, you can tell me", he said squeezing her hand slightly.

"You know what, it's really nothing. Not worth thinking about. I'll enjoy tonight as much as I can", Cho said as she smiled at him.

"Good', he said, "tonight is _our_ night, right?" he raised an eyebrow at her. She nodded. The slow music drifted through the air. "Dance with me?" he asked, rising and holding out a hand at towards her. She stood up and placed her hand in his.

---

Hermione sat on the sofa, in the living room before the fire, reading Ron's letter. They had gotten it that afternoon; Harry shared it with her when she was arranging her things in his house.

_Dear Harry,_

_I heard from Lav that Hermione's back. (Hi, Hermione, if you're there). We've just finished the season, as I'm sure you already know. I'll be coming back next Friday though. I've got a few things to handle first here, in Bulgaria. (And some shopping to do too, Lav wants something 'sparkly'). So, don't be expecting me early. I think us three need to talk when I return. _

_Your friend,_ _Ron._

Hermione folded the letter and placed it back in its envelope. She got off the sofa and walked to the table, opened a drawer and placed the envelope in it. She sighed, imagining the 'talk' the three of them were going to have. Ron's got a temper, and after seeing how Harry reacted, she doesn't think Ron will be more understanding. And Harry is as understanding as a guy can get. Not even her ex was like Harry. Hermione smiled as she sat in the armchair, in front of the fire. The house was quiet, she was the only person in the house, and only the occasional sound of a hoot could be heard from Hedwig's cage. The fire crackled, the ashes settling amongst the embers with a quiet hush. Hermione hugged her knees to her chest and sat, staring at the fire. She was planning to wait up for Harry. Besides, it's not like she's tired or anything.

A minute later, Hermione had drifted off to sleep, her hand on the armchair serving as a pillow for her head. The fire continued to crackle in front of her, feeding on the logs, the light growing dimmer by the hour.

---

Cho laughed. "So, he's _not_ the delivery guy?" she asks, laughing.

"Nope", Harry said as he grinned at her. He was just telling Cho a joke of what happened at office that day. Cho placed her chin on her upturned palm, an elbow on the table.

"Tonight was great", she said, looking into Harry's eyes. The restaurant was almost vacant with people, the candle already burning low. The violins were still playing, creating a romantic scene and making them feel like they were the only ones in the room.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here", she reached into her handbag and produced a small, long box. It was tied with a ribbon, a card was stuck next to it. Harry gave Cho a questioning look before taking the box. "Go on, open it", she said.

Harry read the card first. It said, _'To: Harry. I love you. Cho.'_. Harry smiled at this, and untied the ribbon. He opened the lid and saw the present. It was a watch, and etched at the face of the watch, the words _'Harry Potter'_. The gift was extremely expensive, Harry had no trouble seeing that. He said "Thank you", and leaned across the table to give Cho a kiss on her cheek. Cho, who was expecting a kiss, looked a bit disappointed but gave him an automatic peck on his in return. Before Harry sat down, he fumbled with something in his pocket, and brought out a small, velvet, red box.

Cho gasped. She was looking at Harry expectantly, but Harry sat down and urged her to open it herself. Cho picked up the box slowly, looking at Harry, checking his expression. Harry was smiling, urging her to open the box quickly. Cho gave him dazzling smile, and opened the lid.

Her expression changed, her smile slowly disappearing. Inside the box was a beautiful ring, a signet ring, to be exact, with beautiful design cut into it. **But no diamonds**. This was clearly not an engagement ring. She looked a bit put down. Harry saw this, a concerned look coming to his eyes.

"Is something wrong? Don't you like it?" he asked, asking her anxiously. Cho quickly came to her senses. She gave him a smile.

"No, no… It's beautiful. I love it", she said as she wore it on her ring finger. Harry let out a nervous laugh.

"Thank you, thank you so much", she said, leaning over and hugging him.

"You're welcome", Harry said as they sat back down. Cho checked her watch. It was 12.15 am. The night was getting older. Harry checked his watch too. "It's getting late. Ready to go home?" he asked her softly.

"Yes –yes…I am."

Harry signaled for the bill, and Cho waited for him as he paid. They stood up, ready to leave. Harry helped pull her chair, and taking her hand in his, proceeded to head out of the restaurant.

---

Harry loosened his collar as he locked the door. He had just apparated from Cho's house, after saying goodnight to her. He rubbed the pink stain on his cheek, where Cho had kissed him. Suddenly, it seemed inappropriate for Hermione to see him with it. He walked through the living room, towards his room. He stopped when he sensed someone was close by. His auror senses kicked in. He scanned the room for something out of the ordinary. The books were where they always were, sitting neatly on the bookshelf, the vase, with each flower in it arranged in place. The chairs were all vacant… except one. A slender person was sitting in an awkward position on the armchair. Or rather… sleeping in it.

Harry walked towards it, stepping silently, to not wake the person up. He stopped in his tracks, when he saw who it was. He smiled, silently scolding himself for being so daft. It was Hermione, sleeping. The embers were still red, the fire already gone. It cast a shadowy light on her face, accentuating her features. She looked vulnerable, angelic, lovely. He was debating whether or not to wake her up. He decided not to. He brushed the lock of hair covering her face, and slowly and carefully, lifted her up. She was light, and he had no problems carrying her. She opened her brown eyes for a while, saw it was him, and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

When he was just about to climb the stairs, he heard a peculiar 'click' sound. He strained his eyes in the darkness to see the source of it, but found none. Yawning, he decided to ignore his impulses and it tricked himself into believing that it was probably nothing. He knew that he would most likely regret his decision if not sooner, later. But as he checked his watch, the only thing that was weighing on his mind there and then was to tuck Hermione in and go to bed himself.

He reached her bedroom and nudged the door open. Her breath tickled his ear as he lowered her to her bed. She sighed contentedly, unwrapping her arms as her head sunk to her pillow. She opened her eyes for a bit, looking at Harry, confused.

"You're back?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Harry nodded and smiled at her as he put a finger to his lips, signaling her to stop talking.

"Thanks for waiting up for me", he whispered to her as he kissed her forehead.

"You're welcome." Hermione gave him a slow smile before drifting off back to sleep. Harry got out of the bedroom, and closed the door behind him softly.

---

"Good morning", Hermione said as she placed his breakfast in front of him. She was drinking her coffee, sipping it slowly as she watched him. He looked at his plate, and gave her a big smile before digging in.

"This is really good. Where'd you learn how to cook?" he asked, spooning in more scrambled eggs.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and said, " At home". She poured him some coffee and handed the mug to him. He took it gratefully.

"Thanks", he said, sipping the hot drink. He looked at her and grinned.

"You know, maybe I'm gaining more from this move-in than you are", he said, picking up his fork again. He swallowed the bacon. "I mean, you cook, you make great coffee, the company's great…. Do you wash?" he asked her with a straight face.

"Ahah.. –I'm in hysterics here" Hermione said dryly, giving him a sarcastic look. Harry smiled.

When he'd finished his coffee, they apparated to work together.

"Ooh, Harry. There's an owl for you", Diane said as soon as they stepped inside the department together. She gave Harry a sweet smile, and Hermione a sneer.

"Oh, thank you, Diane".

Diane batted her eyelashes, and laughed annoyingly before saying, " You're welcome". She was wearing a hot pink tube, her hair looked recently blow-dried. A fluffy quill was in her hand, held between long, manicured, red nails.

"See you later, 'Mione", he said, giving Hermione a smile. Diane followed Harry into his office, her behind moving excessively, heels clicking away.

Hermione sighed, shook her head and stopped when she reached her desk. There was a bouquet of flowers on her table, with a card next to it. She looked at it curiously. _Who sent her these flowers?_ David? She shook her head. Couldn't be. He couldn't possibly have known where she is. Hermione examined the bouquet without touching it. Could it be?

Hermione took out her wand, and gave it a quick flick. The bouquet instantly vanished, and in place, was a pile of grey dust. Hermione looked at it satisfactorily. Someone behind her clapped. It was Kellerman.

"Very good. You passed this test. Constant Vigilance", he said as he marked something on the clipboard. He gave her a curt nod, and walked towards his office.

It had all been a test. Just as she thought. _Still…_ that pang in her heart when she thought for a while that it was from David… She sighed.

Hermione sat at her desk, and cleared the grey dust. She opened her briefcase, and took out the pile of paper she was supposed to have completed yesterday. She tried to focus, but her thoughts reeled back to him. _David_.

David Levelle was a lawyer, a successful individual who had his own opinions about everything. That was the very thing that made Hermione found him so interesting in the first place. They had met at a friend's wedding. At first a conversation, then a few returned calls. From there, they hit off. The first two months of their relationship went extremely well, and Hermione thought she had found her knight in shining armour. He had piercing blue eyes, a guileless smile, and short, blonde hair. But the thing that made Hermione tired of the relationship was the fact that he always seemed to be busy especially as they entered their third month of relationship. During their on and off relationship of four months, she had somehow told him about her being a witch.

That's when they broke up. At first, he didn't believe her, saying she was just tired, lack of sleep sometimes made people delusional, he said. That ticked her off. She still remembered that night clearly. In response to his words, she took out her wand, gave it a flick, and transfigured her clock into a bird. He had looked at her in an angry way, at a confused way too. He believed in everything logic, everything proven scientifically. He had stormed out of the house, shouting hurtful words at her. 'Freak of nature', being one of them. That night, she cried bitterly, scolding herself for telling him so early. He never contacted her ever again since. That was a month ago.

A sharp prod on her shoulder shook her out of her reverie. It was Diane. _Great. The very person I wanted to see._

"Yes?" Hermione said, looking up at her. She was sitting at the edge of her desk, looking at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Harry wants to see you", she said simply, before giving her a smirk.

Hermione muttered a quick 'Thanks', got up from her desk and marched straight into Harry's office. She wanted to get out of Diane's sight as soon as possible. She hated the look the slut had on her face. As if she owned the place. Uuurghh!

Hermione gave a sharp rap on the door before entering. _She was going to give Harry a piece of her mind about Diane. Enough was enough. _

But what she saw made her completely forget about complaining. He was reading the Daily Prophet as she walked in. Nothing odd there. But the grave look Harry was wearing worried her. She closed the door shut behind her.

"What is it?" she asked, walking to stand beside Harry as he was reading the Daily Prophet. She gasped. Right on the front page, was an article. Hermione could see that it was the reason behind Harry's expression.

**Potter Two-timing Chang? **_–by Rita Skeeter_

_**Is Potter worthy of being loved? That is the question at the moment as his love life is being split apart. This is, some say, a result of his unsentimental fraternizing with his best friend, Miss Granger. Cho Chang, Potter's girlfriend whom he had hooked with just two months before, refused to comment on this. **_

_**The Daily Prophet managed to get a photo of Harry Potter, in his house, attending to a young woman, other than his girlfriend, Cho Chang. Reliable sources have reported that Hermione Granger, an old friend of Potter's, had moved in with him just a week ago. It has also been said that these two 'best-friends' are having a long-term affair behind Chang's back. A close friend, who prefers to be called 'Diana', said that the two were always together. A neighbour of Potter who wants to remain anonymous, claims also to have seen the two together.**_

"**_I was tending to me garden, when I saw Potter leading a young woman, other than Miss Chang into his house yesterday. And I know Miss Chang, alright. She was real pretty. This one's different. Brown hair and whatnot. Definitely not Miss Chang". So is Potter worthy of a maiden's love? It all rests in the hands of Miss Chang._**

_Picture on pg 4 –_

Hermione drew a sharp intake of breath. Rita Skeeter. It was the scarlet woman's doing; again. It had once been somewhat the same when they were in Fourth year at Hogwarts. Back then, she had written in the Daily Prophet that Hermione was Harry's girlfriend. Hermione did have her fair share of revenge back then, when she'd threatened to report Skeeter's identity as an unregistered animagus. _So, she's become daring again?_

Harry folded the newspaper. He sighed, and covered his face with his hands. "I should have checked out the sound", he said, regret in his voice.

"What sound?" Hermione asked, quizzically. Harry told her about the sound he heard last night. He figured out that the sound he heard was probably from a camera. Hermione knotted her eyebrows thoughtfully. She walked over to his window.

"What should I do?" Harry asked her. Hermione took a long time to answer this.

"I suppose the first thing to do is talk to Cho. Explain everything", Hermione said slowly.

"What if she won't believe me?" Harry said, looking at the watch Cho gave him. He was wearing it today.

"Ask her to talk to me", Hermione said simply.

"But it's not your –", Harry started to say. He was cut off by Hermione.

"No, Harry. It's partially my fault', she said, crossing her arms. 'I shouldn't have moved in with you. Especially since you have Cho's feelings to consider", she said, facing Harry. She wore a very serious expression. Harry knew since Hogwarts to never cross her when she was in that manner. But he just had to try. He wasn't about to have her move out just because…..

He sighed. "But 'Mione, you don't understand. I've already spoken to Cho about you moving in. She was fine about it. So there's no reason for you to move out", he said, getting up from his seat, walking to her. Hermione spun around.

"Look, just go talk to her first, okay? She needs explanation. I know I would if I were her. Go talk to her. Whether I move out or not _doesn't _matter", she said, her tone serious. Harry looked at her, as if in disbelief of what she had just said.

"But it does!" Harry shouted at her as he stormed out of the office, furious. Hermione stared at the banging door, slumped down on the sofa, with her face in her hands.

Hermione paid for her dinner and apparated back home. She purposely went back later than usual. Giving Harry some personal space before having to confront her. But she doubted he would need more personal time. He didn't return to work after the morning's incident. It was 9.00 in the evening, and she stood alone outside. Hermione turned the key and the door clicked open.

"Harry?" Hermione called out as she closed the door behind her. "Are you here?" she called out again. No answer. She walked into the living room. No Harry. Hermione looked around, ears listening intently for any sound. 'Ick!" a sound came from the kitchen. Hermione rushed to it, dreading what she would see.

As she came in, she saw Harry, slumped over the table, a glass of clear, yellow liquid in his hand. "Harry!" she said as she rushed to him and took the glass from his hand. "You've been drinking, haven't you?" He didn't even move. Hermione drained the glass, and attended to him. A slight snore was coming from him now, and she waved her wand, levitating him to the living room. There, she placed him carefully on the couch. She went up to her room, and got her quilt for him. She tucked him in warmly and sat by the fire.

---

"Uuurghhh…"

Hermione's eyes shot open. She had slept the whole night through, in the armchair. Her back ached as she sat forward. Harry was waking up, and as it appears, was having a big hangover. Hermione rubbed her eyes. She rummaged for something in her purse, and a moment later, walked to him with a phial full of clear liquid. She pushed it in his hand.

"Drink it. It helps", she said. He looked at her in confusion at first, and drank the medicine. His head cleared a little bit, and he felt a little better.

"Thank you", he said as he handed Hermione the phial. Hermione nodded.

An awkward silence happened between them for a moment. "So…", Harry said, wanting desperately to break the silence. Hermione looked up. "What happened last night? I can't remember", he asked, looking at her.

"You were drinking", she said quietly. Harry remembered. He groaned, putting a hand to his forehead.

"Cho. I haven't talked to her yet", he said, just remembering.

"Maybe you should go today. It's Saturday, after all", Hermione replied. He looked at her carefully.

"Yeah… maybe I should. Look 'Mione. I'm sorry about yesterday. I guess all that stress finally took a toll on me. I snapped", he offered an explanation. Hermione smiled at him weakly.

"It's alright, I understand", she said, getting up from her seat.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Shower. Maybe you should get one too. It'll help clear your head a bit. I'll get started on breakfast right after that", she said, climbing the stairs. Harry watched her as she disappeared upstairs, and got off the couch. The heap of quilt fell to the floor. Harry picked it up, not recognizing it. _Must be Hermione's_. He looked at the motifs sewn onto it.

Hearts, stars and flowers were among the motifs on the quilt. Harry turned it over. He was surprised to see that this side was totally different from the other. This must be her handiwork, Harry thought. He could see the pictures moving individually. A wand was moving, flicking as bright colourful lights streamed out from it's end. Another showed a bird singing an inaudible song, it's beak opening and closing, to what Harry thought must be a happy, musical song; seeing as how it was enjoying itself immensely. To describe all the motifs, would be take all the time in the world, but what Harry saw was a slight insight to one of the things that Hermione held dear. His eyes saw a red patch, next to a lightning bolt, connected by a large letter 'F', and a roaring lion….

Harry took his eyes off the moving colourful motifs. The clock on his wall told him it was 8.30 in the morning. He should really be getting on with his shower. Harry bundled up the quilt to take it to Hermione's room. He trudged up the stairs, taking care not to trip on the quilt along the way. He knocked on her door. No answer. _Probably still in the shower_. He twisted the doorknob, entering cautiously, taking care not to spoil anything. He could hear the shower on, meaning Hermione was still inside. As he entered, he caught a whiff of a nice smell. It was Hermione's scent, strawberries and vanilla. Harry smiled as he placed the quilt on her bed. He took a quick look around, before going out and closing the door behind him.

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**A/N: Review! review! hehehe...**

Ellie


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Okay, this is my first post for this story since…I dunno…at least 4 months, I think. Oh well, be nice. D

* * *

Knock, knock, knock. Cho got up from her chair and walked towards the door. She opened it slightly, and upon seeing who it was, proceeded to close it back again. 

"Cho…" Harry said, and put his hand forward to stop the door from closing.

"What do you want, Harry?" she asked him, pain in her voice.

"I need to talk to you", Harry said quietly.

"We both know what you're going to say, so consider it said and goodbye, Harry…" Cho said quickly, attempting to close the door again.

"Cho, please…" he said, pleading.

Cho looked at him for a moment, and opened the door wider to let him in. She sat on a chair and indicated for him to do the same. Harry sat down meekly, and then took her hand in his. He took a deep breath before beginning. "Cho, I just want you to know …that whatever you read or saw in the article yesterday wasn't …"

She cut him in.

"Wasn't right? It was wrong? What? The pictures were just _bewitched_ by someone? We all know what happened, Harry. You don't have to say anything. We're through", she said, freeing her hand from his clasp.

"Cho…just listen for a minute, will you?" Harry said, his tone angry and frustrated at the same time. Cho, who was rising from the sofa sat back down slowly.

"_Nothing_ happened, Cho. I apparated home after seeing you to your door …and I found Hermione asleep on the couch –apparently she waited up for me; so I carried her to her bedroom because I didn't want to wake her up. That's all, believe me", Harry said, looking at her earnestly. Cho laughed maliciously.

"Carried her to her room…" she repeated slowly. "We're adults, Harry. What happened next is really no mystery; and you don't have to use euphemisms with me. You slept with her and that's final…So just leave me alone", she insisted, and looked away.

"Cho, answer this. Have I ever, _ever_ since you've known me, lied to you?" Harry asked her in a pleading tone. Cho looked down to her hands.

"No.." she said slowly.

"So why won't you believe me?"

Silence.

"I don't want to lose you to _her…_ and it sort of seemed to me –for a while", she hastily added the last part; '…that it was better to let you go willingly to her…than –than to…' here she started pouting; "lose…or –or _hurt myself"_, she replied lamely, leaning into him.

"To who?" Harry asked, curiosity in his voice.

"Hermione", she said quietly, as if expecting him to go into a sudden fit of temper if she said it too loud. Harry was silent for a moment. He didn't know what to say. He knew what he _should_ say; that Hermione was nothing more than a friend to him, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to say it. Hermione was sort of…more than a friend…a special friend, but not to _that_ extent, right? He was never more confused of his feelings than at that moment.

"Harry? Are you mad?" Cho asked him, turning to look at him.

Harry said slowly, as if unsure of himself," No…and Hermione's just a friend…_nothing more than a friend_".

Cho smiled slowly, leaned into his arms, and kissed their laced fingers. "Then I'm sorry for jumping into conclusions, Harry. I should have listened to you…" she said, and tucked her hair behind her ear. Harry just kissed the top of her head in response. He was glad she couldn't see his expression at that moment. He himself was sure _he_ had jumped into conclusions. He thought, concluded even –whichever way you put it– that he loved Cho. Now, he wasn't so sure.

---

Hermione was moving the spatula; stirring the spaghetti sauce with her wand. Then she poured it over the pasta on the plate. It was already dark outside, and Harry wasn't back yet. The apology must have been successful and he was probably having dinner with Cho this very minute. Hermione sighed as she sat down and ate her dinner. What if Harry marries Cho? She shook her head. He hasn't said anything about it to her…But then there's the engagement ring…Oh, why _should_ she care, anyway? Because he's her best friend…and she just wanted to make sure he was happy…yeah, that's right.

Hermione got out of the chair and walked over to the fridge. She poured herself some iced water and gulped some down. She needed to clear her head and sure enough, the water did the trick. Harry…and Cho? She didn't really like looking at them together. Hermione watched Crookshanks rub against her leg. She sighed. Well, she _could_ avoid seeing them together if they really get married. _'I guess visits only on Christmas, then'_.

---

It was Saturday night, and in an 15 minutes they were to attend Cho's party. Hermione smoothed the wrinkles in her dress slowly as she watched herself in front of the mirror. _'I look all right',_ Hermione said to herself. Truth be told, she looked more than all right. She was wearing a red dress, and it accentuated the milky whiteness of her skin against the brown of her hair. The dress also showed the fact that she had a great body; which was not very often seen. She fastened a necklace about her neck. Hermione fingered the heart-shaped locket momentarily and smiled. It had been a gift from Ron and Harry at the end of their final year at Hogwarts. In it contained their picture; all clad in their graduation robes smiling and laughing. Hermione sighed as she closed the locket with a quiet snap. Checking her reflection again in the mirror, she grabbed her handbag and opened the bedroom door.

"Harry?" she said, walking into his room. The door was left open, and she saw him standing in front of the window, gazing out into the sunset. Apparently he hadn't heard her. Hermione walked softly to him, taking care not to surprise him. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she said, her voice almost a whisper. Harry turned to look at her.

"Yes, beautiful…" he replied, looking at her. He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. Hermione smiled at him.

"Ready?" she asked, taking his hand in hers. Harry nodded.

They had arrived at the party the next second, having apparated from Harry's house. A full blare of music greeted them once they arrived. Guests were dancing to the music, their bodies swaying to the rhythm. Harry, with Hermione's hand in his, made his way through the crowd, looking for the hostess. They found her talking to a friend animatedly, her hands expressive. Hermione released her hand from his clasp immediately. Harry looked back questioningly. Hermione just shook her head and made a gesture for him to greet Cho. Harry raised an eyebrow in question, but proceeded towards Cho anyway.

"Harry!" Cho said and she kissed him lightly before hugging him. "Guys, this is Harry…you know", she said, introducing him to her friends. "..my boyfriend", she announced delightedly, and clung on to his arm tightly. Harry groaned inwardly. This is what he disliked about her. Every time she introduced him, he felt as if he was being flaunted around. Like a priceless piece of jewellery she'd just bought at a store. He put on a smile, anyway, pretending to enjoy all the attention. Then he saw Hermione making her way towards them. Cho's friends made noises of discomfort and dislike.

"Hello, Cho; Harry", she said, offering her hand to Cho. Cho took it stiffly.

"Hello Hermione", she said, faking a smile. Hermione smiled back. "Didn't you come with Harry?" she asked, pretending to sound nonchalant. Hermione shook her head. Harry was watching the whole scene suspiciously. What was Hermione up to?

"I've just arrived. Harry went before me –he told me he couldn't wait to see you", she said, inclining her head in Harry's direction. Here Cho smiled at Harry lovingly and tightened her hold on his arm. "Besides, I was busy the whole day, had to finish some work at the office", she continued, sounding earnest.

"Oh, well. That's all right. Enjoying the party?" Cho said, looking at Hermione up and down. She personally was impressed at Hermione's appearance. So she _has_ a body. Hmmph.

"Yes, yes… Everything's so wonderful", she said, waving her hand, indicating the crowd. Cho just nodded her head and muttered a small but audible 'Thanks'. An awkward pause passed between them for a moment.

Then Hermione, feeling the need to get away from them, said "Well, see you later", and disappeared among the dancing crowd. Harry almost made a move to follow her, but a tight squeeze from Cho made him stay resolutely at her side. He sighed. This is going to be a l-o-o-o-ng night.

Hermione meanwhile, was standing at the food table. She was helping herself to some wine and caviar, watching the dancing crowd. It was now a slow waltz, and from her position, she could see for a fleeting moment Harry and Cho dancing. The next minute, a couple blocked them from her view. Hermione drank some of her wine. She checked her watch. It was only 8.45 pm. Should she go? '_Maybe stay for a bit longer_', she decided. She continued to watch the crowd for a few more minutes. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find herself facing an auburn-haired man with dark, velvety eyes.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked her. Hermione nodded, and set her glass on a table. They walked to the dance floor, and danced with each other for a good 20 minutes. Then Hermione, flushed, excused herself for a drink. Her dark-eyed partner smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Hermione… Didn't expect you of all people to be here after you-know-what", said a voice next to her. Hermione found the owner of the voice standing next to her. Lavender was looking at her, surprise in her eyes.

"Hello, Lav", Hermione said simply, and smiled at her. Lavender said, "Hello yourself", and laughed. She then jerked her head in the aforesaid partner's direction.

"He's with you?" she asked, eyeing him curiously. Hermione shrugged.

"We've just met. The only thing I know about him is his name; Mark", Hermione replied, sipping her chilled wine. "Oh, and that he's a great dancer", Hermione added, smiling. Lavender smiled slowly.

"So you don't really know him?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Hermione. Hermione shook her head.

"I told you, we've just met", she answered, looking at Mark.

"Well, just so you know, he's the editor of _Wiz-conomist_ and he's single…" Lavender let the sentence trail off delicately. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and laughed.

"I'm not interested, Lavender", she said bringing the glass to her lips.

"Right…I forgot. You're interested in someone else", she said, inclining her head in the direction of Harry, who was walking towards them. Hermione gave her a look that plainly said, 'sod off'. Lavender smiled mischievously at the pair of them and sauntered off to the food bar.

"Hermione? Are you all right? You need company?" Harry immediately said, as he reached her.

"No, I'm fine, Harry", she said, and gave him a smile.

As if on cue, Mark walked up to them. "Hi", he said, and looked expectantly at Hermione.

"Oh…Harry, this is Mark", she said, introducing them. Harry smiled and shook Mark's hand.

"You've known each other long?" Harry asked Hermione, referring to her and Mark.

"No, no… we've just met", she replied, and set her glass on the table.

"But it feels like I've known you forever…" Mark said, and brought Hermione to his side.

"She's great, isn't she?" Harry said, smiling.

"Yeah…I kind of figured it out the first time I saw her", Mark replied, looking at Hermione affectionately. _Boy, he's fast, isn't he?_ Hermione almost felt afraid of this stranger she'd just met half an hour ago.

"Want to dance again?" Mark asked her. She almost wanted to jump and be at Harry's side that very minute. But something inside of her, welling from some deep place in her heart, told her to do it out of spite. At that moment, she wasn't aware of where that spite came from. Neither did she care. She just had a vague feeling of satisfaction, like that feeling you get when you've just proven someone wrong; that she'd feel if she danced with Mark that very moment. So she went.

Harry in turn, was left alone. He'd made up excuses to Cho, to go seek Hermione, to talk to her; and here he was, left by her while she danced with some unknown 'Mark-from-Mars'. Harry sighed. He guess he did took her for granted. What did he expect? That she'd be waiting here for him, meekly? _Come on, Potter. Look at her. Nobody in their right mind would leave her alone._ He took a long look at them dancing. Hermione is beautiful.

"Nice couple, aren't they?" he heard a voice say. Lavender was leaning against the table next to him, drinking wine.

"Sure", he said, smiling somewhat constrainedly. A few minutes of silence passed between them.

"So you and Cho all right?" she asked, looking at him. Harry nodded.

"Yeah", he replied indifferently. Lavender secretly wondered at this. He really didn't seem happy or relieved; the way he _should_ be.

Then she noticed something odd about Hermione.

She was dancing, but fidgeting and gasping at the same time, and she saw her knuckles on Mark's shoulder were white; as if holding him back. Lavender quickly nudged Harry.

"What?" he asked, noting the look of terror in Lavender's eyes.

"Hermione", was all she managed to say, before putting her hand to her mouth to stop them from shaking.

Harry immediately looked at Mark and Hermione on the dance floor. He noticed Hermione's unusual restlessness, and then he saw Mark's wand. It was pointed directly at Hermione's neck. Harry felt a sudden blaze of anger and terror, then quickly strode over to them and pulled them apart. He could see Mark was surprised, and the instant relief that registered on Hermione's face as soon as he got her into his arms. Harry needn't say anything to him. He muttered a spell under his breath and pointed his wand at Mark. Mark's form went limp and with his wand still pointed to Mark, he directed the stunned Mark to a chair nearby. He did this all quietly; he didn't want to alarm the guests. Hermione, with her auror training, kept herself calm and composed, although anyone who looked close enough could see she was actually recovering from a shock herself. Her eyes were big and glassy, and her hands were folded to stop them from shaking. Lavender was watching the whole situation unfolding, seated, and like Hermione, trying to act normal; although for her part, failing miserably.

Hermione stood close to Harry. She whispered urgently, "We were dancing like before then suddenly his grip on me tightened…and I couldn't do anything…Before I knew it he was pointing his wand at me and threatening to kill me, Harry", she said, trying to hold herself steady. He wanted to comfort her there and then, but with people around, he couldn't risk it, that would only draw attention to himself; and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

"I think he was under the Imperius curse, Harry. Did you notice his eyes?" Hermione said.

"Yes…but I don't think there was anything weird about it", Harry replied, looking at Mark closely. Lavender was still silent.

"Then he must've been hit with it when we were dancing. But that would mean…"

"That the attacker's still here…" Harry completed the sentence for her. Lavender gasped.

Harry scanned the crowd from his viewpoint. Nothing unusual. They couldn't do anything, then. If they tried to conduct a search, the attacker might become more dangerous in an attempt to get away. They had to be content to letting whoever it was : him or her ; escape for now. Harry quickly revived Mark and Hermione obliviated his memory of tonight's events. Mark came blearily into consciousness. Harry and Hermione turned, and pretended not to see him. Lavender just looked away. They heard him walk clumsily and confusedly for a moment, then watched him disappear into the crowd. Harry checked his watch; it was almost 11.00 pm. Cho must be looking for him now.

"Lavender, are you going to be all right?" he asked concernedly. Lavender just nodded her head silently. Hermione bent down to give her a hug.

"Don't tell this to anyone, you get me?" Harry said to her. Lavender nodded again.

"Take care… and thanks, Lav", Hermione said, giving her hand a light squeeze to comfort her.

Harry led Hermione across the floor, to where Cho stood. Hermione once again tried to release her hand from Harry's clasp, but this time failing to do so. Harry was not about to let her out of his sight or reach again until they reach home.

"Cho, darling…we have to go. Important …uh –meeting tomorrow, with the Minister, sweetheart. See you soon, all right?" Harry said as he gave her a quick kiss. Cho, fortunately, did not notice their joined hands as she was busy talking to her friends. Apparently she hadn't even missed him. "All right, Harry. Goodnight", she replied, and at once she turned her attention again to her friends.

"Now, let's go home", Harry said to Hermione; and the next second, they were gone.

---

"Harry, you're hurting me", Hermione said as she tried to remove her hand. Harry paid her no attention as they walked to the front door. "Harry…" she almost pleaded. He was still silent. They entered the house and Harry closed the door behind them. "Harry…", she said, taking hold of his arm with her other hand. He stopped and turned to face her. "What's going on?" she asked, her eyes both angry and painful. Harry saw them and let go of her hand.

"What's going on? I should ask you.", he said vehemently. Hermione looked puzzled.

"Look, it's not like I knew I was going to –"

"You should have known better than to go off dancing with some sod you barely know! I knew it was a mistake leaving you alone! ..and after all that you still tried to go off by yourself! You're not leaving this house until I find out who's behind this and kill them!" he spat. He was livid and she could almost feel the anger vibrating from him.

"Then tell me, Harry", she said slowly, controlling her anger. It was already near the surface. "What was I supposed to do? Wait around for you? Mope about just because I didn't have anybody?" she continued, her eyes flashing. "I'm not eleven anymore, you know. I've taken care of myself before, and I can certainly do so again. Even-' , she added defiantly, 'without your help". Harry stared at her like one astounded.

Then he gathered his wits and replied. "Oh, you mean like those 8 years when you left us?" he reminded her sharply. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, groaned and threw up her hands.

"You know what? I give up…Maybe coming back wasn't a good idea after all", she said, and made for the stairs. "Good night, Harry", she said stiffly, and marched up the stairs. A second later, he heard the door slam shut.

"Good riddance", he said, truly thinking he meant it.

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**A/N: **As usual, read and review! 

Muaxx,

**Ellie.**


	8. Chapter 8

Harry groaned. He didn't get much sleep last night. He kept thinking about his fight with Hermione. Did that mean she was going to move out? He groaned again.

Looking up from his hands, his eyes saw a picture of him, Hermione and Ron on his desk.

"_Ron! Stop trying to apparate!"_

_Hermione was waving her wand at him, and ropes flew from out of nowhere, binding his legs together. Losing his balance, he fell face-down on the floor, and swore. _

"_Hermione, leave me alone!" Ron said, and sat up quickly to remove the bindings. He couldn't find a knot. Great. _

"_Undo this right now!" he threatened, pulling out his wand. _

"_Or what? You'll hex me?". _

_Hermione shook her head and pursed her lips in annoyance. _

"_You have to promise me you won't go apparating somewhere, Ron. We're getting our results whether you like it or not. Even if you go to Indonesia, that letter will find you. I suggest you just stay put and get it right now rather than later."_

_Ron narrowed his eyes at her. _

"_Fine, but don't start pestering me and comparing every one of my grades to yours. Or I swear I'll just –" _

"_The owls are here!" Harry suddenly shouted. _

_He lifted the windowsill to allow the owls in. There were three of them. He looked over to Ron and Hermione. They were looking at one another, as if daring who would go first. After what seemed like a long time, Hermione stood. _

"_Oh, this is silly." Hermione rolled her eyes and walked over to the counter._

_That broke the spell for Harry and Ron. They both quickly joined her. Ron however, toppled again before he could reach them. His feet were still bound tightly together. _

"_Hermione!"_

"_What? Oh –sorry", she said quickly, waving her wand to undo the bind. _

_Ron grunted, and Harry handed him a scroll bearing his name. _

"_Thanks", Ron said quietly. _

_Harry didn't reply. He was already scanning the parchment, looking at every subject and the grade next to it. Defence Against the Dark Arts…_

"_No-o-o-o!" Hermione moaned suddenly. Harry looked up quickly. _

"_This can't be happening! I got and 'E' for Defence…" Hermione said. She began to walk to and fro, her hand on her forehead, muttering little curses now and then in between scolding herself. "Harry… what did you get for Defence?" she asked, walking to him and peering at his parchment._

"_An 'O' I can't believe it! Then again, you've always been better at it than I have…But why did I get an 'E'?! Stupid, stupid, stupid –" she rattled off. _

"_Hermione, it's 'Exceeding Expectations'! What more do you want?!" Ron said suddenly._

_That made her stop pacing. _

"_What did you get?" she asked, her eyes narrowing at him. "You must've gotten an 'O' too!" _

"_Hey! I said no comparing, didn't I ?!" _

"_But…oh, alright. Just tell me, did you or did you not get an 'O' for Defence?"_

"_No, I got an 'E' too. Actually, I can't believe I managed to get an 'E' for Defence. I mean…I missed out on the question with the hinky…hinky…" he said, trying to remember._

"_Hinkypunks!" cried Hermione with vehemence._

"_Yeah, that's it...Hinkypunks"_

_Hermione turned to Harry. "How many 'O's did you get, Harry?" _

"_Ummm, here", he replied, giving her the parchment. _

"_Owh, Harry! This is really good!" Hermione said ecstatically. "You've got an 'O' for every subject that you need to become an auror! Even Potions! I'm so proud of you!" she said before engulfing him in a tight hug._

_Harry laughed. "Thanks, Hermione"._

_Ron however, looked disgruntled. "Mate, that sounds great. But look at mine…rubbish", he said, before shoving his parchment to Harry's hands._

_Harry scanned the parchment carefully. Hermione too peered close. Harry rolled his eyes._

"_Ron, I think Hermione's rubbing off on you. This' –Harry ran his finger along the list of grades on the parchment –' is not rubbish" _

"_It's true, Ron. Don't worry about it…besides, haven't you sent your application to the Chudley Cannons?" Hermione raised her eyebrows at him._

"_Yeah, I did… good thing I hadn't set my mind on being an auror…mum will make a fuss of it still…" _

"Harry, someone's here to see you."

Harry stirred from his reverie.

Harry turned the picture frame down quickly and averted his eyes to Diane.

"Who is it?"

"A certain Mr. Weasley," she replied, looking at her fingernails.

"Let him in," Harry stood up quickly, and walked towards the door.

"Hey, mate," the red-haired man greeted Harry. The door closed with a sharp snap.

'Nice ornament you got yourself," he continued, referring to Diane.

Harry laughed.

"Hey Ron," Harry shook his friend's hand. "How's Lavender? After yesterday…"

"Don't worry about it, she's okay,' Ron smiled. 'Especially after I gave her the 'sparkly' gift I hinted darkly about in the letter," he laughed.

Harry smiled. "We weren't expecting you until next Friday. Finished early?"

"Nope. Bulgaria cancelled last minute. Half the team was infected with some foot disease. Hermione's 'Vicky' being one of them," Ron finished with a smile. His dislike for the Bulgarian seeker still apparent.

Harry grinned. "That's nice to hear. Was his 'sweetheart', Tatiana around to comfort him?"

"She wouldn't even dare come near him. True love knows no boundaries…except Vicky and his diseased foot."

Harry and Ron laughed. "He must be missing Hermione now. That would teach him to dump our 'Mione for his 'true love'," Harry said.

"Hear, hear", Ron agreed.

Harry laughed. It was just like old times, him and Ron laughing together. He sighed, and sat down. Ron walked over to the window.

"How is Hermione?" Ron asked Harry.

"She…she's fine." Liar. Harry Potter's a liar.

"What did she say about the whole thing?"

Pause.

"What thing?" Harry knew he was stalling. He also knew he had to tell Ron somehow. After all, Ron is his best friend.

"Yesterday…at Cho's". Ron turned to face Harry. Harry looked at his hands.

"She didn't say anything." He decided to let Ron prod. Prodding, he decided, meant his answers would be more precise. He wouldn't fumble over the words, thinking up excuses for himself about what happened yesterday that made Hermione upset.

Ron looked at Harry oddly. Didn't say anything? That was not at all like the Hermione he knew. Was there something Harry was hiding from him?

"Harry…what did she say?" Ron asked him again. This time, his voice was expectant, a bit curt, almost willing Harry to say the truth.

Harry sighed.

"She…We had a…disagreement," he answered slowly. Come on, prod Ron, prod.

"About what?"

"Her and um…what was his name…Mark," Harry pretended not to remember the name.

"Mark?" Ron sounded genuinely surprised.

"The ass she danced with at the party,' he hissed. 'Didn't Lavender tell you?"

"She only mentioned a few of it...left out the guy's name conveniently. Told me I'd go off in search of him if I knew…which was probably what I would have done, even at 12 when I arrived at her place…" Ron clenched his fists uselessly. He still was seething over the whole thing.

"I told Hermione that she wasn't to get out of the house until I found out who was responsible for the 'attack'… "

"And as usual she disagreed," Ron finished for him, smiling a little knowing how Hermione would have reacted.

Harry covered his face with his hands and nodded. He didn't know what to do.

"She also brought up the fact that she was fine living by herself during those eight years." Harry added.

Ron already expected it. Already imagined the argument that would have followed when he heard the story from Lavender. He _knows_ his friends.

"It wasn't that serious, was it?" Ron asked, breaking the pause during which Harry still had his face in his hands.

Harry looked up. His face was unreadable. Too many emotions swam across his features.

"It was pretty bad. I let off a lot of steam at her yesterday. Part of it was anger, towards myself, towards her. She wouldn't have been in that situation if I had been with her during the party. I'd been with Cho instead… And she wouldn't have been in trouble if she hadn't danced with the bloke.' Harry felt that anger again, rising slowly in his chest.

"The week had also been tough…most of it because of Cho…her sulks aren't easy to handle…and the story the papers had going on about me and Hermione and Cho, seemingly tangled in a love web I made' Harry sighed. '… I just let it out on Hermione last night. It wasn't fair on her, especially when she'd been affected by it too. I was too selfish and angry to notice that…" he finished.

Ron walked over to where Harry sat.

"Do you want me to talk to her about it, mate?"

Harry looked up at him. Then, despite the gravity of Ron's expression, he laughed a little and shook his head.

"Look at me, I'm not even married yet and I have women problems that need your help as a third person to solve. No thanks, Ron. I'll talk to her myself. But I would appreciate it if you'd drop by later in the evening. You know when dinner is, right?"

Ron nodded. The three of them –him, Harry and Hermione- had spent a whole holiday together during their 7th year summer holiday at the Burrow while his family visited an old aunt. Back then, Hermione was the one who controlled the kitchen with Harry helping occasionally. He only entered it during meal times. Ron remembered that dinner was always served at eight in the evening. On the dot.

"Eight, right?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered.

"See you then, mate. Good luck." Ron thumped Harry on the back before exiting the office.

"Thanks."

When the door behind him closed, he let a sigh escape his lips. He'll need all the luck he can get. Hermione's frostiness towards him that morning was even more painful than a hurtful word. Even when she came over to discuss her next Harry carefully tucked in the thought at the corner of his mind. He opened the newspaper, and began to read, digesting the news that the paper had to offer that morning.

---

"Going home?"

Hermione looked up to find a pair of green eyes looking at her. Immediately her demeanour changed. The small smile she had tugging at her lips a moment ago vanished, and an invisible veil dropped again.

"Yes," she answered, returning her attention to the briefcase she was packing. Wand, she thought. In pocket, she concluded, her hands feeling for it in her pocket. Notebook, in briefcase. All settled.

Harry sighed. She wasn't going to make it easy for him.

"Look, Hermione. I'm sorry."

She looked at him. Cocking her head, she narrowed her eyes at him slowly.

"About what, Harry?" Hermione pretended not to know.

Yup. She's definitely not making it easy, Harry decided. Kicking himself mentally for getting in the mess, he took a deep breath before speaking.

"About yesterday. I –I got carried away. I didn't think…I forgot that you were perfectly capable of handling it yourself. It's just…I hated the idea of myself not being able to catch the person who did that to you…so I lashed it out on you. Sorry, Hermione," he finished clumsily. He ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier than it already was.

Hermione's expression softened.

"All right,' she replied, pursing her lips at him. "But will you promise me one thing?"

"Anything," Harry readily agreed.

"Next time, if a crazy lunatic were to attack me, please don't scold me for it, okay?" Hermione sighed, raising an eyebrow slightly at him.

Harry laughed. "Now that you put it that way, it did seem silly didn't it…Sure. No more scolding for 'Mione the next time a lunatic comes over for a dance…"

Hermione smiled at him.

"Hey, you're smiling at me again. I like your smile," he said, lifting a finger to put a lock of hair behind her ear. His fingers grazed her cheek slightly. To her surprise, she felt her breath sharpen a little.

Hermione held up her hand to push Harry's finger away, taking in a deep breath at the same time.

"You, mister are worse than Ron. I've already said all right. Gosh,' she said, shaking her head and smiling. 'Men."

Harry chuckled.

"Come on, I'm pooped. Let's go home." Hermione yawned.

Looping an arm around Harry's, they apparated home.

---

"So, what do you want for dinner tonight? I've bought a couple of salmon fillets last Friday…what say we have that?" Hermione asked Harry as she looked inside the refrigerator. She tied her hair with a rubber band, before rummaging through more contents of the refrigerator. "Harry?" she asked, her left hand holding the container.

"Huh?" He had not been listening to what she was saying, instead had been thinking about something else. A wondering-whether-a-girlfriend-like-Cho-is-worth-the-trouble something else.

"I was saying,' she rolled her eyes slightly at him. 'would you like salmon for dinner tonight?'. We've got asparagus too. That'll do nicely for a complete and well-balanced diet. So…okay?" she finished, putting her hands on her hips. Her face looked mildly annoyed, but he could see a smile tugging at her lips, plainly amused at his own dazed expression.

"Yeah…salmon's nice…make sure you put an extra on. Ron's coming over for dinner tonight," he added.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"What?!...and the reason you totally forgot to tell me earlier at work today was because…?" she trailed the sentence delicately.

"… we weren't on speaking terms this morning?" he continued in her tone.

"Harry, the least you could do was give me a head's up that Ron's back. Thank heavens we have extra fillets. You know that boy can eat," she huffed, blowing a lock of hair out of her face.

"What if we didn't have extra fillets?', she went on, heating the pan. "I would not be expected to rush to the nearest grocery store to get extras. I'm not the little woman, Harry."

He grinned, and walked over to her. Putting his arms around her waist, he drew her closer. Hermione felt her heart beat a little faster as his arms snake to her back.

"You are little…and you're a woman," he said before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Hermione."

When they drew apart, she caught herself just in time and spun around quickly before he walked out of the kitchen.

" That's not going to get you out of helping me with dinner, Harry. Come downstairs when you're done showering. I need you to mash some potatoes."

Harry sighed dramatically. " Yes, Mama," he said before getting out of the kitchen. She heard the door of his room open and close a moment later.

Left alone now, she touched the spot where he kissed on the cheek briefly. Her body was still tingling from where his arms were. First at work, and now this? If he weren't having a relationship with Cho, and they weren't best friends, she'd suspect herself of falling for him…

_No!_

She pushed that thought out of her mind. Her arm muscles tightened, as if acting out her mind's thoughts. That, she told herself as she seared a fillet, would be irrelevant; and what's more, illogical.

Satisfied with her conclusion, she took out a pot, filled it with water, and put it to boil to make mashed potatoes.

---

" Aaah…that, was the best dinner I've had in two months." Ron raised his glass of white wine for a sip.

Hermione smiled. "How did you like the potatoes?"

"They're delicious." Ron nodded his head to strengthen his point.

Hermione looked at Harry and raised her brows in amusement.

"Well it should be. I made them," Harry said matter-of-factly.

Ron stared at Harry unsurely. Seeing that Harry was completely serious, he laughed. "Wow…Hermione, you've done the impossible. Harry Potter has managed to prepare a dish without burning, exploding, ruin….' Ron ticked off with his fingers.

"Yes, yes..." Harry said, throwing his napkin at Ron. "Sod off, Ron…" he continued, grinning.

Hermione laughed. She was sitting between her two best friends, with her chin propped up on one hand, watching the camaraderie between the two. She had missed this during her eight years of being away; the easy talk between the three of them, as if nothing in the world can touch their friendship.

When the laughter subsided, Ron said, "Remember when we were at the Burrow…the holidays before 7th year? You nearly drove Hermione mad when you ruined her dishes with your 'help' ."

"Hey, at least I helped," Harry said, smiling.

"Can't argue with that," Ron replied, holding up his hands as if in surrender.

Hermione still smiling, stood up slowly and began to clear the table.

"Hey, you both did the cooking. So I'll do the dishes," Ron said immediately, standing up and taking the dishes from her.

Hermione gaped at him slightly. "Ron, since when have you offered to wash dishes after dinner?"

"Since Lavender gave me a lecture about responsibility and share of the workload. I swear, she can talk anyone into doing anything."

Harry laughed. "Maybe we haven't given Lavender enough credit. She did what our Hermione couldn't. She got you to wash dishes. Now that," he added, looking at Hermione, 'is something."

"I have to admit. That's pretty impressive," Hermione said, putting on a serious face.

"Hey, I only said I'd do the dishes. You both still have to clear the table. Share of the workload." He reminded them, carrying the two plates in his hands to the sink.

Hermione snorted, while she picked up the glasses. Harry's lips curved into a smile. "I guess Lav motivated him too much," Harry muttered to Hermione. She giggled.

Ron, who was watching them closely from the kitchen smiled to himself. This was going to be fun. Sort of like a movie, but much slower. Sure, slower means waiting, but he's sure it would be worth it. The two main leads have definitely got chemistry. And like Lavender says, what makes a greater movie than having chemistry between the leads? Yup, he was sure it'll turn out great. But there was only one catch: he couldn't do anything to speed things up. Great things happen to those who wait, he reminded himself. Well, he'll be there when it happens. He'll just keep on waiting.

"Ron? What are you thinking about? Looks painful," Hermione joked, setting the glasses in the sink.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it, Hermione," he said, assuring her, grinning.

"Are you sure? I mean, you can always talk to me or Harry about it." Her voice dropped into a serious tone as she lay a hand on his arm.

"I know that, Hermione. But seriously, it's nothing to worry about," he said, smiling.

Hermione looked at him for a moment, and seeing nothing wrong with the smile, sighed. "All right, if you say so."

She busied herself with wiping the dishes dry, asking Ron questions about his career and occasionally, Lavender.

Then, when Ron was done, he brought the question that had been burning at the back of his mind.

"Hermione, what made you leave eight years ago?"

Hermione stopped her actions and looked at Ron. He was looking at her, his eyes serious. She put down the dishcloth slowly, arranging words in her head.

"Well, Ron…I just didn't know what I wanted to do…so I ran away. I tried my hand at becoming a dentist. That didn't work out. So, I came back," she finished, crossing her arms.

"You know, you should have talked to me and Harry about it…I mean, it's not as if we couldn't help you or anything." Ron leaned against the counter, and took her hands.

"I know, Ron…and I regret not talking to both of you about it. But, well…I'm here now, aren't I ?" She reasoned.

"Yeah…and you can kiss the next time you want to run away again goodbye because we're not going to let you." Ron hugged her.

She smiled. "I know that. You know Ron…" she said as they drew apart, "you're taking this better than Harry did."

Ron just smiled. "Well, I'm a supportive man."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Sure you are, Ron."

He smiled at her. As Hermione walked out of the kitchen, Ron sighed. Should he tell her why Harry's emotions were less controllable? Why it was because Harry loved her more than a friend that he had so much more to lose? Don't ask him how he knew, even though Harry himself didn't say anything about it. He'd known Harry for a long time.

So… should he tell Hermione? Maybe not. The three of them are best friends, but Harry…well, he had a right to tell that himself when the right time comes… _or when he finally comes to terms about it_, he reminded himself and grinned.

---

Cho Chang was flipping through the pages of a magazine, not reading anything, her eyes just searching for an interesting picture, her mind elsewhere. The hairdresser was taking a particularly long time in styling her hair, and she was starting to lose her patience.

"Can you please speed things up? I've got an important appointment to keep, and I don't intend to be here all day!" she said, rolling her eyes. It was just a simple twist after all, and she could manage it herself if she chose to. It's just that she wanted to make sure it was going to be perfect.

The hairdresser quickened her movement, her hands quickly shaping Cho's raven hair. In ten minutes, Cho had paid and was stepping out of the salon. _Finally_, she said to herself. _Now, for breakfast._ She walked to a nearby café, the one she would always head for after pampering herself at the salon. A waiter in a striped apron gave her a menu. After ordering a fruit tart and coffee, the waiter went back inside. Cho scanned the people at the café.

Aha.

A handsome young man with blonde hair was looking at her, his piercing blue eyes taking in her face, her body. Cho smiled at him, and he smiled back. She was quite aware of the familiar electric jolt that shot through her body every time she started this.

Cho crossed her legs, aware that her skirt rode up her thighs a bit in doing so. Next she pushed a lose curl behind her ear. She was sure as hell it would work again. Just like every single time she had done the same thing. Played the same game.

She could hear his footsteps now, walking towards her.

"May I join you?" His voice was deep, _a fresh change from Harry's_, she thought.

"Sure", Cho smiled, gesturing to the seat in front of her.

His name was David he'd told her, when they introduced themselves, and he'd come by to visit a relative, somewhere in London. She flipped her hair again, giving him a smile, nodding her head. The waiter came, and the next minute she was pouring milk into her coffee.

"Where do you live?" he asked, taking a sip of his black coffee.

"Oh, not far…" Cho said, pushing the aforesaid curl out of the way again. "Near enough to be convenient, far enough to call home", she continued. Again, another curve of her red lips.

He laughed.

After a few minutes of harmless talking, he looked ready to leave.

"Well, I guess I must be going,' he said, draining the remains of his coffee. "My cousin must be waiting… Any chance I'll see you again?" he asked, his eyes wandering to the hem of her skirt, next her mouth and her face.

Cho smiled. _Hmm, to yield or not to yield? _Yield. "Sure", she said, taking out a notebook and a pen out of her handbag. She wrote her number, and her name beneath it.

He'd said _thank you_, and _nice to meet you, Miss Chang_ and waved once before disappearing into the crowd. She watched his head disappear, and sighed once. Today wasn't her luck. Usually, she'd managed a ride home, then perhaps invite the man inside, and from there they'd proceed to her bedroom.

She knew it was wrong, especially since she and Harry were together, but somehow she loved the excitement, the sureness that she would be able to entice someone, a stranger, someone she didn't even know, to come to her. It was a habit of hers that she indulged in, perhaps once in four months. She'd never done it more than that. Afraid Harry would know. Her conscience was already numb, she'd silenced it with what she thought was a strong reason. _Just flings_. _Nothing more_.

And she told herself just that, that morning, before tucking in to her breakfast, aware, that whatever might come, even a financially secure and wedding-of-the-year marriage with Harry, would not be strong enough to cure her habit. _Just flings_, she reminded herself. _Nothing more.

* * *

_

**A/N:** Hey guys, I know some of you would probably have forgotten the storyline, on the account of me taking such a long time to update (more than 3 months) but I hope you will stay aboard, to see it to the end! My life is in your hands, dear dear reviewers! Read and review, that's all I ask.

Muaxxxxxxxxxx,

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox,

**Ellie. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Recap: **Yeah, just in case you forget, here's what happened in the 8th chapter:

Ron came back from Quidditch for a visit to Harry and Hermione; H/Hr made up; and Cho met David. That was a week ago however story's timeline, so read on ppl:D Ooh! And Kellerman is Harry's boss…and Diane his PA…that bit you might have forgotten since it was…I dunno…a couple of chapters back? Hehhee… Well, read on!

_If this recap has helped you to remember the storyline on the account that I took so long to update P , credit goes to Lady Knight 1512 for suggesting it! Mwaah, honey! LoL!_

* * *

"Harry", Hermione said, before sitting down beside him. It was night, and the only light in the house was the fireplace. The grandfather's clock was ticking nearby, the sound so familiar to her now, after living for nearly three months in Harry's house. 

"Yeah?" He looked up from the quidditch magazine he was reading.

"When do you think we can start the undercover training? I've been dying to get it done. It's always been at the back of my mind…and you know I can't rest until I get it done…"

He looked at her as he put aside the magazine. She wasn't looking at him when she asked, he noted. Her gaze was averted to the fireplace before them, she was staring wearily into it, her eyes reflected the fire before them. He saw that her eyes had dark circles beneath them, and her hands had cuts on them. All part of auror training.

"I guess we can start next week, it's written in the schedule…"

Hermione sighed. "Do you think we could maybe start practicing a little earlier? You know how I like to be prepared…and since you've done it about a hundred times, Harry…do you think you could teach me?"

He took a while before answering. Harry noted the dark circles under her eyes, and the cuts and bruises she had. "Sure, Hermione. But tomorrow, not tonight. You need to rest". He lifted a finger and pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

She smiled at him, a little sadly, he noted, as if remembering a loss. Taking his hand, she put his arm around her shoulders, and leaned into him. He let it be, drawing her a little closer, not even questioning the sudden affectionate gesture. He breathed in her scent, a soft, fresh, clean smell of soap and the shower she just had.

After several minutes, she broke the silence, her gaze watching the fire licking the logs that Harry had put in that evening. "Have I ever told you about David?"

Harry could feel a sudden tug at his heart when he heard that name. A sinking feeling like his chest just shrunk and fell to the floor. "No… You've never told me about any David." He felt his heart hammer against his chest. He knew he was going to hear about David, the man he had a feeling had something to do with the sense of loss he saw in Hermione's smile a moment ago. Harry ignored the horrible feeling he had in his chest.

"He was my…I mean…we were together last year", Hermione said in a quiet tone.

Harry waited a moment before asking. Too soon was just too rude, he felt. He knew Hermione was about to reveal a part of her past she didn't like to talk about. Yet, he just needed to know…does she still love him? When the silence seemed to go on, he nudged her a bit by asking, "What happened?"

"He found out I was a witch", she said, her eyes not leaving the fire.

"Oh, you mean he was a…"

"A muggle…yes", she said, before continuing, ' a lawyer, in fact…He wanted to become the top defence attorney in all of Britain. He has high ideals, that man."

Then, after a pause, she laughed a little, before saying, " Did you know, his father was a lawyer too? So was his mother… He used to joke about having practiced law long before he went to law school, always debating with both his parents at the dinner table about something. He used to say, that it doesn't matter what the truth is, so long as you make it your truth."

She paused a little, the smile slowly disappearing from her lips. Harry kept silent, aware that she had lots more to say.

"Sometimes I think he holds to that too strong…whatever I had to say was always second to his opinion…he was always right. That's why I think that when I told him I was a witch, and later proved it, it was just a big slap to him. Just too much for him to comprehend…he believed in science, he believed in things that are, that always have been…having a witch as a girlfriend didn't fit in with his view of the world", she finished bitterly.

"Hermione, it's not your fault", Harry said soothingly, his thumb rubbing a spot on her shoulder to comfort her, all the while aware of the sudden relief and elation he was feeling.

"But don't you see, Harry? If I had kept my mouth shut about being a witch…if I had just kept quiet…" she broke off, and Harry could see the eyes that before reflected the fire were closed, and a single tear was rolling down her cheek.

She curled against him, burying her face in his chest. He let her cry it all out, aware that it was part fatigue and stress that was making her this emotional. When her sobs had ceased, and she had lifted her head from his chest, Harry spoke again. "It wasn't your fault, Hermione. If he couldn't appreciate you for being you, then you're better off without him. Know that", he said seriously, wiping away her tears.

Hermione could sense something else in Harry besides the support he was giving her. Anger. Just simmering beneath the surface. And it wasn't for her. It was for David. To lighten the moment, she laughed a little, before saying, "I must look stupid to you, huh? Crying for some guy you say I'm better off without," she said, sniffing.

Harry smiled at her slightly, then rubbed her arms a little. "Just remember that it wasn't your fault, 'Mione. Nobody like him deserves you…and if you still think that it was your fault, take _my_ gratitude for it. Because if you hadn't said that to him, then you wouldn't be here with _me_ now; which is worth more than anything I'll ever gain in my entire life,' he said, as her looked into her eyes, willing her to believe him. She looked away from his intent gaze, her face reddening a little, her heart gaining in size as a not-so-bad feeling rose up in her, consuming the sadness and sense of failure she had felt a moment before.

"Hey, you're important to me. Remember that. I don't like seeing you sad," he said, smiling at her.

She laughed a little. "Thanks," she said softly, before hugging and kissing him a little longer than usual on the cheek. Harry only hugged her tighter for a while in response before they drew apart. Hermione yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Sleep. Now," Harry instructed her, pulling her onto her feet as he got up.

"Mmm…I will," she said as she headed for the stairs. "Goodnight Harry,"

"Good night," he replied, a smile tugging at his lips a little as he noticed the mussed up state of Hermione's hair.

"Oh…and Harry?"

"Mmm?"

"Cho's lucky to have you, you know. Tell her that for me," Hermione told him, and she went upstairs.

He smiled, feeling appreciated, loved. Too bad he had to _tell _Cho that, before she would ever say such a thing. Cho was sweet and beautiful, but somehow he always felt a certain amount of maliciousness coming from her. Different from _his _Hermione, different from _his _best friend, who was as clear as glass; beautiful, sometimes fragile, never hiding anything from him. He sighed, betraying a regret he had felt suddenly, but didn't know where to place.

As soon as he heard Hermione close her door, he sat down again on the couch. His head was still slightly disturbed from the contents Hermione put in it earlier. _David, huh? _He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then, he ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier than it already was. He found himself angry at this David, the way he treated her, the way he'd made Hermione feel so low of herself as to let her take the blame of the whole miserable state of the relationship. Harry let his thoughts wander for a while. _How did they meet, anyway?...And did Hermione say they lived together?_ He felt that unpleasant swell of emotion again. That uneasy feeling rising in his chest.

_Well…at least they've separated._

And again, he found himself relieved at that nice, secure, and –in his mind- comfortable thought.

---

"No. No…put it right there!" Cho's voice echoed throughout the hall.

She was busy making arrangements for her parents' second marriage, about to be held next week. She looked at her watch. Monday. Seven days to go until the big day. Sighing deeply, her attention turned back towards the big vase being carried to the altar. _How many times do I have to tell them? _

After telling off the boy who had arranged the vase with the rose pattern slightly too center, Cho gave them a break. In truth, she needed one herself. Fixing herself a drink, she sat in one of the audience chairs, her gaze sweeping over the whole arrangement. She had chosen everything to compliment the spring style, to bring the air of an informal affair, just where her parents renew their vows to each other, and friends celebrate their love together. She had made it a point to make sure everything was perfect, everything just the way she wanted.

She brought the glass of vodka to her lips. _This is it,_ she told herself. This is what her life is. Constant arrangements. Constant preparation. And she wasn't even doing it for a job, either. She was doing it because she liked to.

_I have no job…I don't need a job._

To say something like that is a privilege, she knew. She had been born rich; her father a successful businessman, and both parents themselves were from rich families. She continued her education in magical history, because well, she liked the subject very much. After that, she had jumped headfirst into the social world, not even bothering to apply for a job. She knew she had a brain. She was sorted into Ravenclaw, after all. But why bother, when she had all the money she wanted. The only thing missing was fame.

She was known to be rich, sure. But she wanted something else. A Harry-Potter-fame something else. Besides, Harry is…nice. And she was sure he was head over heels for her. Well, '_was'_ being the operative term here. After that Granger came on the scene she wasn't so sure. She had seen those two together, and she didn't like it one bit.

_Sigh_.

Well, she was going to defend what she had strived to get. She was going to battle with her flags flying. She had made sure everything was as she wanted it to be, just like this party she was organizing. Everything had been perfect before. And it was going to stay that way. Having made sure her flings never got to anyone else and after taking every precaution possible to keep it that way, someone wasn't going to steal him from her just like that.

Especially not someone like Granger.

_I might not have control 24/7 over those two, but that's going to change. I know I have control over Harry. The only person he is going to see from now on is **me**. _

She was so cheered up by this plan, that she drained the last of the vodka in her glass and looked forward to continue the preparations. _After all,_ she reminded herself, _it takes two to tango, doesn't it?_

---

"No, no, no…look into his eyes like you mean it…you have to do it too, Harry!" Seamus said, waving the rolled up newspaper in his hand like a wand, in front of their faces. He was leaning against a wall, and looking a bit annoyed.

"Is this really necessary? I mean, nobody is going to care, Seamus, really!" Hermione said, looking up at him.

"Look, you came to me asking for help. So you're going to get it. Now, like I said before, look into his eyes, say something sweet, and kiss!" He said, exasperated.

Hermione sighed. She looked at Seamus for a minute, raising her eyebrows, questioning him again. _Is this really necessary?_ In response, Seamus nodded once, and crossed his arms.

"Okay," she said quietly and turned away for a moment. She cleared her expressions, and put on a softer one before turning in to face Harry again.

Harry could see every detail of her face closely. He was literally given the license to stare at her all he wanted to. His eyes roamed from her delicately shaped eyebrows, her golden brown eyes he was so familiar with, to her mouth which was at the moment pursed slightly, hinting at the annoyance she had felt a second ago. He brought his hand to her face, touching her cheek for a second before lingering on a lock of her hair near her shoulder, all the while looking into her eyes intently.

Hermione felt her heart beat faster. It was odd, really. She knew it was just pretend, all for a show. But that didn't stop her from searching _something, anything _in those emerald eyes. It was really out of habit; this searching game. A kiss, from Hermione Granger, was never _just_ a kiss. Something has to be there.

She found it.

The next second, before she knew it, her eyes were fluttering shut as Harry leaned in for a kiss. Harry. Her best friend. Kissing. Her. Tilting his head slightly, he deepened the kiss and she found herself doing the same. Her mind only focused on the feel of his lips; the taste of him. He ended the kiss slowly, and when it did they found themselves staring at each other, as if in wonder. Seamus broke the spell.

"Oh-kaay. A bit longer than I planned…and neither of you said anything sweet before the kiss…but it was great. Looked _very_ real to me," He straightened himself, and started gathering his things. "You shouldn't have a problem with the test Hermione," he said, smiling more to himself as he got out of Harry's office.

Once Seamus was out, Hermione cleared her voice and smoothed the creases in her skirt as she stood up. In what he deduced was an attempt at a normal and unbothered tone, she said, "Thank you, Harry…for helping me with this," and walked out of his office without once looking him in the eye.

Harry just nodded in response before running a hand through his hair. As the door closed behind her, he exhaled a long, shaky breath. The kiss had seemed very real to him, almost…passionate even, and he knew that when he leaned in to kiss her, he wasn't thinking about it being a practice at all, he only acted on impulse.

_Impulse._

The word frightened him, because that would mean he simply couldn't help _but _want to kiss Hermione. That would mean he liked her, and not just _like like,_ but more like _like._

Harry sat down at his desk, and looked at the picture frame placed on it. He saw himself during their years at Hogwarts, with Ron and Hermione under a big tree. The picture Ron was laughing and pointing a finger at Hermione. He saw the picture Hermione had leaves in her hair; leaves from the autumn tree shedding right above them. His picture self was helping Hermione, all the while looking daggers at the picture Ron for laughing.

Seconds passed and Harry was still looking at the picture. This time, his picture self and the picture Hermione had gotten rid of all the leaves in picture Hermione's hair, and they were both sitting under the tree, talking. Meanwhile, picture Ron was flecking an invisible speck off his sweater and staring at his nails. What Harry saw next nearly dropped him out of his seat. Picture Harry was kissing picture Hermione, with Ron making exaggerated disgusted faces at them.

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. _They were kissing?_ And what's more…that picture was taken during their 6th year, when Ron was still, as he remembered distinctly, crushing on Hermione. Only a year later did he get over it, the reason being their differences were just too much. Then why, is the picture Ron so relaxed and calm –albeit making disgusted faces at his picture self and the picture Hermione making out- with not a _single_ sign of jealousy and anger on his face that was so accustomed in those days to appear every time a boy even so much as look at Hermione with interest?

He looked away from the picture. Remembering the moment he had talked to Dumbledore's painting months ago, he realized something. Pictures are part of the person in it. It develops just as the person does. That would explain why he could ask Dumbledore about a situation the Ministry had concerning the Death Eaters. How else would Dumbledore have known it? Dumbledore was already gone, after all.

So that would mean the pictures showed the real Harry, Ron and Hermione _now. _But that would mean…Harry shook his head. It can't be. He couldn't be in love with his best friend of more than 15 years, could he? And yet, as he thought that, his thoughts drifted back to the kiss. It had been a simple meeting of lips, nothing more. But the thought of it still made his stomach do flip-flops. He took the picture frame in one hand and let it rest on his lap. Pressing a hand over his eyes, he leaned back into the chair.

He recalled how her hazel brown eyes had fluttered shut before the kiss, and how she had responded to it. What did that say? That she liked him? It would have been a mere act, just for a show. Hermione was always known to give her 100 per cent effort in everything she did. Was that just one more of her assignments? Oh…what did it matter anyway? It wasn't like he was feeling the same, was he? A sigh escaped his lips.

Fine…maybe a little bit. But that was just physical, no? He wouldn't be normal if he didn't feel _anything _at all, kissing someone as beautiful and pretty and…god. Now, what was he doing? Thinking about Hermione in _that _way.

Okay, assess this logically and precisely. Besides _that,_ what feelings had he ever felt around her? Admiration, fine. She was always doing something that amazed him, like the way she'd managed to think up the DA during their sixth year, and countless other times during their years at Hogwarts. Protective? He guessed so; after all, he did _slightly _overreact during that Mark incident. Happy? Naturally. She always manages to cheer him up, no matter what…and always so funny and sarcastic too. Comfortable? He sighed. _That_ was something he could never in a million years forget. Somehow, their easiness between each other was just so…uncomplicated. Not like him and Cho; always trying to find a way to get around each other, to just bear. Or at least he did, anyway.

…And remembering now, he always had that punched-in-the-stomach feeling every time she talks about another boy, another man. Even once, when she was talking to Harry in their sixth year about her date with Ron, he just felt hollow. Empty…and angry too, at the both of them, without knowing why.

Relieved? God knows, he _was_ when she broke up with someone. Anyone. He sighed. Those eight years when she disappeared, he felt a big part of him lost somehow, and that day, when she stepped back into his life, a large part of who he was sliced back into place, much like a machine that had stopped functioning would stir back into life suddenly when a broken chain was replaced. He knew he wouldn't even last a day if he lost her again, for sure.

So, does that mean he had always, all these years, loved her? He knew the answer was staring back at him plainly. He sighed and opened his eyes, holding the picture frame in his hands.

_What had he gotten himself into?_

---

Kellerman laughed loudly. "I should have been there to see the look on their faces…Tell me, Finnigan…How much do you owe me?...Aah, 10 galleons. Good, good. Nice doing business with you, Finnigan,"

Kellerman then deposited the coins into his pockets.

Seamus scowled, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. "How was I supposed to know they _would _do it? I thought they wouldn't dare do it, seeing as they _had been_ best friends since forever," He said, "…And how did _you _know, sir? Unless…did you _make_ that happen?" his voice sounded suspicious of the man sitting at the desk in front of him.

Kellerman's face grew suddenly serious. "Now, now, Finnigan! I'm not a one of your tricksters! We bet fair and square to see if they would do it by the end of the month, and they did! So your ten galleons is rightfully mine, Finnigan. Don't be a sour grape now, man! It's not attractive." He broke into a loud laugh.

Seamus scowled slightly and muttered 'sorry' under his breath before making for the door.

"Oh, and Finnigan…thank you!" Kellerman said, smiling broadly as he held up a leather pouch containing the money.

Nodding, Seamus let himself out of the office and closed the door behind him.

---

"Why?" Hermione said. "Stupid…stupid..stupid!"

She was sitting in her chair, with her hands covering her face, as angry sobs came out of her. She had let the _feeling_ take over her. The feeling that she always had while being around Harry. The feeling that made her want to comfort him when he was feeling sad, the feeling that made her want to run over and hug him when he just smiled his guileless smile at her, the feeling that made her feel uncomfortable seeing Harry with Cho by his side, the feeling that made her so…useless.

She wiped away the tears that was clouding her vision with a vengeance. She was angry at herself; for once since almost 9 years that she started having this…this _feeling, _it had taken over her so completely just now. It was just distracting, and just bloody disturbing! What was she supposed to do? Ignore it? Let it just lie low forever? What if it rose again like just now?

She sighed. She had found that feeling rise in her again; an almost elated, giddy, scary feeling that suddenly appeared in full force when she had searched his eyes for that _something._ That made her just _had _to kiss him.

Hermione set her mouth grimly. Well truthfully, she _might _suspect _where_ it came from, or _what _this feeling was, but if it made her want to kiss Harry again out of _no reason whatsoever_, if it made her want_ so much more_ from Harry than what was appropriate, then she just has to ignore it. Cho had full rights to _that _feeling, as having the full right to Harry. Hermione let out a small, painful sob as she made up her mind.

Suddenly, she heard the concerned voice of Corinne, who was nearest to her office, inquiring if anything was wrong. Corinne must have walked past her room and saw her crying. But…hadn't she closed the door?

She looked up, and saw the blinds of her window not drawn close. _Damn it. Now the whole office is going to know._

"No, Corinne. Nothing's wrong. I just…felt a bit under the weather. That's all," came her reply.

Corinne, who did not look thoroughly convinced, just suggested her to take the rest of the day off, and when she declined, let her be.

_Nothing's wrong,_ she told herself as she wiped her tears dry. She felt a painful jab at her heart. _Nothing's wrong, whatsoever._

---

"Harry, Miss Chang's here to see you," Diane's sugary voice told him as she entered his office.

"Umm..yeah, call Cho in, Diane," He looked up a moment before hastily putting a picture frame in a drawer.

_He looks a bit worried and confused,_ thought Diane. _Oh well, so long as he pays me and still looks hot… _Diane cleared her throat. "Miss Chang! You can come in now."

Cho Chang walked past Diane -who smiled at her somewhat painfully- and went straight to Harry. Diane closed the door with a sharp snap. Harry could hear her mumbling something about black-haired dogs. He dismissed it as Diane being her quirky self. He stood to greet Cho with a kiss on her cheek.

"Harry, do you want to go out for lunch?" Cho immediately asked. She was wearing a dress with bright red flowers, accentuating the darkness of her hair in contrast to her bright dress.

"Umm, sorry Cho…I..I have something to do with Hermione…something.." He tried to grasp for something quickly " something about her auror training. Sorry."

She eyed him curiously, taking in his worried expression and haggard look, and passed it off as true. "Fine, darling. But can I just hang around? You know…to..mmm…observe? It's always been a mystery to me how you aurors work, and I don't exactly have anything to do…"

"I'm afraid not, Cho. It's…it's top-secret matters…only for aurors. Protocol, honey."

Cho looked unsatisfied with his excuse. She was willing to do anything, so long as that Granger doesn't get within 20 mile radius of Harry. _Anything. _"Oh, come on Harry. I won't cause any harm…really. I just want to spend some time with you' –here she adjusted his tie- "you've been so busy lately…I just thought a lunch would be nice. Come on, I even took a break from helping with my parents' wedding plans just to be here with you,"

Harry braced himself for what he knew would come as he replied in a soft voice, of how he would want to come, Cho; yes, he really did. It was just that matters have gotten so out of hand lately and it was his job as Head Auror to make sure…

He didn't even get to finish what he wanted to say.

"Uurgh! It's always her, isn't it Harry? I'm sick of this! Every time I want to spend some time with you, you'd rather be with _her_! I am just sick! Sick, sick, sick!...You know what? Fine! Be with her!"

She stormed out, hair billowing behind her, her face red.

Harry slumped in his chair, aware of the fact that everyone had heard it and was now peering curiously at him as they walked past his room. With a slight groan, he gave his wand a flick, and the door slammed shut, leaving him shielded against everyone's eyes.

For now.

---

Cho Chang made it back to her house a few minutes later, still fuming and red in the face. What could it be that Granger has, which she, Cho Lynn Chang did not? Beauty? She knew she far exceeded Granger in that department. Brains? Huh! She was in Ravenclaw! She had brains, she just didn't bother to use it all the time; besides that Granger was always showing off her brains anyway, and what good did _that_ get her? A husband? She didn't even have a _boyfriend_! …

_But_…she groaned as she recalled. _Harry was sure to take _that _spot! That good for nothing bitch! _Breathing hard, she dug in her pockets for a cigarette. Harry didn't know that part of her. She had always kept it a secret; mouthwash, breath mints and air fresheners being the way to go. She lit a cigarette and took it in deep and long. She blew the smoke out, making a slow jet of grey line in the air before it dissipated.

She has to make sure that mudblood Granger would be gone for good! She'd had Harry too long and enjoyed the benefits that came with him too much to lose him just like that! She was confident Harry would come apologizing to her latest by tomorrow; just like he always did. _With his tail between his legs_, she thought, as her lips curved into a smile. She knew she had the power. She loved the knowledge of being able to control him; someone so famous for being so _strong_, rendered helpless with just a threat of breaking up from her. _Her._ She laughed softly as she took in another puff containing nicotine and tar. She'll make it work. One way or another, she will.

Her train of thoughts came to a halt as her phone rang. _Choosing to live in a muggle neighbourhood has it's benefits,_ thought Cho.

"Hello. Cho Chang speaking,"

"Hi, this is David"

Her lips curved into a smile as she remembered the man she had met a week ago at her favourite café.

"Hi, David. Nice to hear from you…So, to what do I owe this honour of talking to you again?" Her voice was soft, silky. She heard him laugh.

"Nothing…I was just in town again, and wondered if you would like to get a coffee with me. It's on me, I promise,"

She smiled. She could feel the tingle of excitement again, and it's been _so long_ since she's played this game…

"You know what? I'd like that. I'd like that very much…But hey, can you come over to my house instead? I don't feel much like going outside, but I would _love_ your company." The offer stood, she waited.

A few seconds passed by and Cho was sure he was contemplating her offer.

"Yeah, sure…Okay! Your address?" came his enthusiastic reply.

She smiled as she gave it to him. After saying goodbye, she put down the receiver. _What harm can it do, after all?_ With that thought, she got off the lounge chair and walked to her room.

Now, for something more…_appropriate._

* * *

**A/N:** Haha! Sorry it took so long to update, and I'll try to update the next chapter sooner:D Read and review, guys! I'm not asking for money! LoLz…Muaxxies for reading, and make sure you **REVIEW!** They make my day!!! Of course, I also accept flames, so long as they're constructive, of course:P

Love, Ellie.


	10. Chapter 10

**TAKE NOTE:** For those I've unfairly kept at bay…Sorry. I was just trying to make sure I wrote the chappie right. Sorry, again.

_**If you've forgotten what's happened so far; here's an account of it: **_

_Hermione told Harry about David, her ex; H/Hr _had to_ kiss at the office (Seamus made sure they did); Cho comes by to the office for lunch with Harry; Harry says no; Cho acts like a toot again in response and huffs off; The whole office knows about it; Cho gets a call from someone she met a few weeks back and decides to cheat on Harry again…_

_Oh, and Diane is Harry's PA…remember that! Hehehe…_

_So what happens now? Read on…_

* * *

"…No. That can't be where they're operating. Have we got any new leads?"

"The last time we heard anything about them was six months ago, Harry. The newest, if you want to count it in, was a couple of weeks ago, when you told us what happened to Hermione at Cho's party. Even that's a blur, since we don't even know for sure who did it. It might not even be them… Might have been some nutter who thought it would be fun to scare a woman half to death while dancing–"

"Harry…", a voice called out.

Seamus stopped his conversation with Harry. Diane was entering the room, carrying a basket on one arm and a folder in the other.

"…I've felt so bad about what happened, so I –", she broke off, noticing Seamus. "Could you leave us alone, please?" Diane said, batting her lashes at Seamus and giving him a fake smile.

Seamus cocked an eyebrow at her and turned around, pretending to shuffle papers. "Sure", Seamus muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

Harry himself was a bit surprised at her manner.

Ignoring Seamus, Diane sat on the desk next to Harry and leaned close to him, her plunging neckline revealing more than it should for Harry to see.

"I felt so sorry about what happened so I wanted to give you this", she said, placing a small cookie hamper on his lap. "I always nibble on something when I'm troubled. So I you thought you might want something to nibble on". She pressed herself against Harry suggestively.

Seamus, who was eavesdropping, made noiseless gagging motions before muttering, "No wonder you've gained weight."

Diane heard it; she looked at him and scowled. Seamus quickly went back to his paper-shuffling pretense.

"Oh, thank you", Harry replied unsurely, taking the beribboned hamper and placing it on the table. "I'll be sure to try one of these later. Uh, Diane, do me a favour; could you tell Kellerman that I've already finished Hermione's assessment ?"

Diane faced Harry again, giving him a smile.

"Sure, Harry. Bye", she said seductively, giving him a wink. "Oh, and I almost forgot… Here's the report you wanted me to get you," She placed the folder on his table, smiling. The door closed with a sharp snap.

"Good Lord, I don't know how you stand her!" Seamus said, throwing up his hands. "I mean, how many times has it been already, her doing that?!"

Harry, despite what had happened earlier that day, laughed.

Seamus shook his head. "I guess some people never give up. She must've heard Cho just now and thought she had a chance with you… Aahh," he sighed. "What I wouldn't do to have women throwing themselves at my feet."

A few moment's silence ensued, from where Seamus realized it was unwise of him to have brought Cho up. "Look, Harry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything about you and –"

"No, no. It's fine," Harry said, waving his hand in dismissal. "You're right anyway. It does seem like it ended just now…You can't blame Diane for thinking that as well," he said, sighing before continuing, "Well, at any rate, it seems like I have to patch it up before she sulks away again. Or else, I'd be in trouble because the public will be on her side…_again_," he sighed.

Seamus remained silent for a bit, in which he refrained himself from shaking his friend of more than 15 years by the shoulders for being so blind. Was Harry just kidding himself, or did he _still _want to be with Cho? Seamus was annoyed at the thought that he was concerned of someone else's love life. Now he sounds like a tabloid journalist, or worse, his mum. He tried to give out as little advice on relationships as possible if he could help it. But now, he knew it was his _responsibility._ Harry was not going to spend the rest of his life with someone like Cho. If Harry liked it, fine. But Seamus knew his friend didn't. Not truly, anyway.

Besides, he'd already placed a 30 galleon bet that Harry and Hermione's wedding would be by the earliest, next month. After losing 10 galleons to Kellerman this morning, he wasn't about to lose 30. Not a fat chance.

"Uh..Harry," he began tentatively. "…have you, by any chance, thought about a life with her?"

"Who?" Harry asked, at the moment occupied with thinking about what he would say to Hermione as an awkward-moment-breaker at home.

"Cho," Seamus said, surprised by Harry's confusion as to whom they were talking about.

"Yes…no… I –I don't know…I must have, right?"

"Have you?" Seamues asked him again.

"I…no. No, I haven't," he said slowly, testing the feel of the truth in his words.

"Don't you think that you should have, if you really do love her?"

"Look, Seamus. It's not like I don't have anything to do besides thinking about my future married life everyday.."

"No, no...I don't mean you have to remind yourself, Harry. I mean, subconsciously,"

Harry fell silent.

"I don't want to tell you who you should or shouldn't be with, Harry…I mean, I may be my mother's son, but I'm not her. Anyway, you should really think about what I said. Because you know…" he stood up, aware that their discussion about the Death Eaters had ended, "in the end it's who _you really want_ _to be with_ that matters. The one you feel _is_ _right_ to be with. Don't settle for a consolation prize. You want the golden trophy, Harry. Fight for it,"

Seamus clapped him on the shoulder lightly before handing him the folder Diane had brought in. Then he left Harry alone, pondering his words as he got out of the office.

The door closed behind Seamus. Harry looked down at the folder in his hands. _'Public Reports of Death Eater Sightings'_ _by Hermione Granger and…_

Harry sighed as his thoughts clouded again.

---

"No, you shouldn't," Cho said, laughing.

"It's okay…I've done this once before," David said as he massaged Cho's shoulders.

"Mmm…that's good. Where did you learn to do this? I swear, if my boyfriend had your hands…"

"Your boyfriend?" David asked, his movements still for a moment.

Cho brought his hands to her shoulders again. "_Ex-boyfriend_," she said, without guilt.

She heard David laugh. "I wouldn't care if you _had_ a boyfriend, it's just you and me here. Right now," he said, whispering in her ear.

Cho smiled. _Just the way she liked them._

"You read my mind, stranger," she said, turning her head and kissing him full on the mouth.

---

As she apparated herself back home, Hermione was in a resigned mood. The mood that you get when you tell yourself that the pink lady with her string of pearls deserves to buy the champagne and caviar for her party more than you do, just because it suits her style perfectly; even when you know she probably hates it as much as you love it. Why? Because it suits her. Urgh.

Hermione was going crazy. Comparing Harry to champagne and caviar…And Cho? Wearing pink and a string of pearls to go with it? Maybe she had had too much Firewhisky at the bar just now…

Groaning, she closed her eyes as she stopped walking.

Fine, so maybe it wasn't the Firewhisky. Maybe she wasn't as resigned as she thought she was. But she _had_ made a resolution. Think nothing of him more than a friend, and everything will just stay safe. _But_…she sighed as she sank into one of the sofas. _Maybe she didn't want safe. Maybe she wanted… _Her thoughts went back to the kiss. She touched her lips slightly.

"No!" she said out loud as she sat forward, determined to make it clear to herself. She stared into the misty rain outside and her vision slowly blurred. The tears were getting in the way again. She buried her face in her arms.

---

Harry had made his choice. Well, sort of. He wanted to go back with Hermione that evening, to set things straight again. But when he found that she had gone back first, he decided he might as well get the whole apology thing with Cho settled. Then, maybe he could think properly about what Seamus had said. He had thought about it a bit, and decided perhaps a little, but somehow, he didn't like what he had concluded. It was like resigning himself to a fate he wasn't too happy with, and done nothing to change about. Harry sighed as he knocked on the door three times.

No response.

It was raining outside, and he was already soaked enough as it is.

"Darling?...It's me. Open up Cho…" he said as he twisted the doorknob. It wasn't locked.

Harry entered, his eyes looking for a sign of Cho. _'Maybe she's not home yet'_, he thought as he walked into the living room. He took off his cloak and draped it over a chair. The fire was cracking merrily enough, as if laughing from a secret only it knew. There were cups on the coffee table and a plate of cookies untouched. She had a visitor before him, he concluded. Harry picked up a cookie from the plate. He took a bite of the cookie as his eyes roamed the room. Maybe she wasn't home, after all.

He headed for the bedroom. Maybe she was inside, taking a nap. Cho _had_ seemed tired earlier today. Harry felt guilty as he thought of how he had snubbed her offer of lunch. He just passed the piano when his eyes caught a pool of something black on the floor. Still chewing the cookie, he picked it up. It was a black dress, and he knew it was Cho's. What was it doing on the floor? His eyes caught something else on the floor; shoes, socks…trousers. He stopped chewing. The dress fell from his hand. So did whatever was left of the cookie.

He turned his head as a familiar female laughter broke from the bedroom. In turn, it was followed by a man's voice, speaking in low but audible tones. Again the woman laughed.

Harry stood rooted to the spot. He couldn't believe what was happening. He couldn't even think properly at that moment. He had a growing suspicion of what was going on, but he couldn't bring himself to accept it. The suspicion proved true however, as someone came out of the room.

That someone was a woman, her dark hair tussled, a silk robe tied clumsily at her waist. He could have recognized her even if she shaved her head bald and had tattoos drawn all over her face. It was Cho. _His _Cho.

"Hey…I'll go fix something in the kitchen. Then we can…" She stopped dead in her tracks. All colour drained from her face as she saw Harry standing in her living room, a confused and hurt look on his face.

"Harry…" was all that came out of her mouth. A soft whisper to herself. Nothing else registered at that moment but his being there, standing there in her living room, knowing…knowing that she had…

"Cho?" called someone who came out of the bedroom.

Harry's gaze moved slowly from Cho's face to the man who stood in the doorframe. He was blonde and half dressed. At the sight of Harry, the man stopped with a slight jerk. Even a fool could have figured out what had been going on in that room.

"So…this is what you really are, Cho," Harry said, voice low with an edge to it, eyes fixed on the face of the woman before him. Cho didn't look at him as he said it. Her face was turned down. Harry could feel the man looking at him across the room.

After a silence that seemed to go on forever, Cho was forced to look up. She could see the sign of betrayal, of hurt and pain on Harry's face. Two…three…four seconds their eyes met, then Harry turned away, he didn't want to see her face. "Tell your parents I'm sorry I won't be able to make it to their wedding," he said, reaching for his cloak. Putting it on quickly, he reached the door.

"Goodbye, Cho." He turned around as he said it, eyes on the blonde man, then shifting on Cho.

With one last piercing look at her, he closed the door behind him as he walked out into the rain.

---

Harry got inside and saw that Hermione wasn't there. A surge of panic grew in him, then he remembered the time. 1.03 am, his watch told him. She's probably asleep. As he took off his cloak, he saw hers already hung on the coat hanger. Touching it briefly, he loosened the buttons in his shirt and went over to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of wine, then sat down at the table in the darkness. The dying fireplace cast shadows in the room, and a flicker in it made him notice a note on the table.

_Harry,_

_There's food in the refrigerator –spaghetti napolitan. I was lazy tonight._

_Love, Hermione._

Harry smiled as his thumb went over her name on the note. He got up and took the plate of pasta out of the fridge. Setting it on the table, he muttered a charm and directed his wand at the plate. One…two…three…four…five…done.

Picking up the fork Hermione left to keep the note in its place, he shoved the warm food in his mouth. He smiled again. Lazy? This is delicious. The woman's crazy. He didn't know whether it really was delicious or that it was his empty stomach that was making him _think_ it delicious, but he sure as hell knew Cho couldn't even toast a slice of bread without getting it burnt.

"Harry?"

He looked up. Hermione was at the top of the stairs, blinking at him. She had probably heard him.

She took in a deep breath. Exhale. "What time is it?" she asked, wrapping the robe around her tighter. Harry could see her outline as she made her way downstairs and peered at the grandfather clock.

"One o'clock, Harry…where have you been? Were you at Cho's? Why didn't you just stay there overnight?" she asked as she sat beside him.

Questions, questions, questions. All of them needed answering. Answers that he didn't like one bit.

He swallowed and took a swig of the red wine."I was at Cho's for a while. She…had someone over. So I went back to the office instead," Harry didn't look at Hermione in the eye as he told her.

"She had someone over? Well, why didn't she ask you to stay? No one could have been _that_ important for her to ask you to leave,"

Harry played with his spaghetti. "She didn't ask me to leave…I decided to leave."

"But…Owh," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. In the darkness Harry could still tell what expression she was making. He'd known her too well. "Harry…you needn't have worried about me. I was doing fine. Sleeping, actually when I heard you come in… Nobody's going to attack me while I'm sleeping, Harry. You made sure of that when we _both _placed wards around the house. So the next time you –"

"I found Cho with another guy," he cut her off quietly, still staring at the plate of spaghetti.

"…Oh," Hermione said, her face gone suddenly blank. For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say.

"Blonde man…Never seen him before. She didn't even lock the front door…" he continued.

Hermione just looked at him, one hand finding its way into his left clasp, the gesture comforting.

"You know…I don't think this was her first fling…She didn't look at all shocked when she saw me there, standing in her living room. Surprised; yes. Shocked? No. Probably been replaying the scene in her mind over and over again during all those other flings; scared of being found out. It's like she had been practicing this since forever…and now that it really did happen, it just didn't mean anything anymore…"

Harry looked at Hermione, his lips forming a bitter smile. He gave her hand a squeeze.

"She's gone. But I still have you, don't I Hermione? I can always count on you." Harry smiled weakly at her. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, drank whatever wine remained in his glass, and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek as he got up. Placing the dish in the sink, he stretched and yawned.

"Thanks for dinner, Hermione" Again, a yawn. "I promise I'll get the dishes done first thing in the morning tomorrow," Now, stifling another.

She nodded as she looked at him.

"Goodnight, 'Mione." He turned as he said it, grateful that his bedroom was only a stairs away.

Her eyes on his back, she called out to him as he climbed the first step.

"Harry?"

He looked at her.

"I'm…really sorry," she said.

He nodded his head once, swiftly, in acknowledgement. "Goodnight,"

"Goodnight," she replied, sitting on a chair, eyes following him as he disappeared up the stairs. She poured herself some wine in Harry's glass, drinking it as she mulled over what had just happened.

Suddenly, she didn't feel so sleepy anymore.

---

"_Harry," She said, giggling._

"_What?"_

"_Don't do that,"_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because everyone can see you," Hermione continued, feeling tiny jolts along her spine._

"_So?" he said, kissing her neck again. "We're married Hermione…That gives me license to do this,' _

_He kissed her full on her lips, hearing her sigh contentedly. He smiled._

_Around them, everyone was talking, eating or dancing. Harry heard George or Fred somewhere, joking. The next second, a roar of laughter. To him, the world had spiralled down to this moment, him holding Hermione close, swaying together to their song. He held her closer, and felt her lay her head on his shoulder. _

"_Harry…' Hermione said, lifting her head and then looking at him._

"_Mmm?" He was lost in her brown eyes._

"_Harry,"_

"_Mmm?"_

"_Harry!"_

He sat up in his bed, eyes trying to focus on the person in front of him.

"Uurgh…what time is it?" He asked her, hands quickly reaching for the alarm clock.

"It's ten in the morning,"

"WHAT?!" He said, jumping out of his bed, eyes wide open. "Why didn't you wake me up? …and why are you wearing that?" he pointed at her yellow t-shirt. "Oh, wait…it must be Saturday, isn't it?" he said, hands covering his face.

Hermione couldn't hold it in anymore. She snorted, then went into a fit of laughter.

"Hahaha…" he said dryly.

She wiped off an imaginary tear at the corner of her eye dramatically. "You got that right, mister. Especially…' she said, turning around and facing the door '…that you've only got your boxers on right now."

She heard a sharp intake of breath, then a sudden rustle of sheet. With a smile tugging at her lips, she turned around to face him again. "You might want to get ready, Harry. We wouldn't want to fall behind our schedule for today…Breakfast is ready. I'll wait for you in the kitchen,"

She walked out of the room, pleased her mission was successful.

"Wait! What schedule?" he asked her. But she was already making her way downstairs.

---

"So this is our schedule for today? _Shopping? _You woke me up to go _shopping?"_

They were in a crowded market, filled with people in the midst of haggling and goods in every shape, size and colour.

"Well, I prefer to call it bargain-hunting. But you're entitled to your term." She said, looking at a carving of a bear closely.

"But what do we need to buy, Hermione? There's nothing here except old junk!" He said a little too loudly. The stall owner who had heard his comment huffed, took the bear carving from Hermione's hands roughly, and gave Harry a deathly glare.

"Sorry," Hermione said, smiling apologetically at the woman before pulling Harry by his arm as far away as possible from the aforesaid stall.

"I mean, seriously 'Mione…What are we doing here?" He asked, crossing his arms and looking at her. His feet was planted firmly on the ground, he refused to budge.

"Well, if you really have to be a spoilsport…we're here to have some fun. I wanted to show you a good time. God knows we both need it. So…what do you say? You up for it, Master Potter?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

Harry looked at her through narrowed eyes.

"Promise you'll tell me where we'd go _before_ we actually go there?"

"On my great-aunt's life." She said solemnly, hand over her heatt.

"Well then, I guess I'm up for it," he said resignedly.

"Good!" She smiled. Pulling him by the arm, she headed for a stall filled with balls of yarn. "But first, Master Potter, help me find a nice-coloured yarn so that I may knit a scarf for Dobby. It's been a long time since I've given that elf anything as a present. It's about time I did. Come on,"

Harry let himself be led by Hermione, all the way shaking his head and smiling. Hermione will _always_ be Hermione…and he liked that. A lot.

---

"No."

"Come on, Harry," she said, pulling his arm.

"No. It's nonsense."

"Harry, it'll be fun. We don't have to believe in it. You know how I feel about those things…Come on," she said.

"And yet you still want to do this…" Harry said, looking purposely skeptic.

"…For fun," she said, before hugging him a little and looking up at his face, pouting her lips.

"Urgh," he said, controlling a smile. He looked at her upturned face again, and relented. "Fine. But don't –"

"Yes!" Hermione said, and pulled him into a tent. As they entered, the light around them minimized, as if filtered. Hermione sat down on one of the stools and patted the one beside her, telling Harry to sit.

Not a moment too soon, the flap opened. A woman, dressed in a deep purple robe and wearing a gold scarf around her head entered. She sat down before them, across the small table and smiled.

"How can I help you?" she said, looking at them back and forth.

"We just wanted to see how our future would be like," Hermione replied.

Harry snorted, and earned a sharp look from Hermione. He soon developed a cold to cover up his mistake. He hoped the 'seer' didn't notice.

She didn't.

"Your future…hmm, let me see," she said, bringing out a deck of cards. They were cards with drawings on them, of people doing different things, one running from a black dog, one holding an orb in on hand and a rat in another, one with a woman who…There were many of this, and Harry looked on, interested as the woman before them turned the cards on their side one by one, carefully arranging them in a meaning lost to both Harry and Hermione.

When that was done, she looked at them and clasped her hands.

"When did you meet?" she asked, looking at Hermione.

"Uhm, 15 years ago," Hermione said, looking at Harry unsurely. She wanted to know what the future held for both of them; but as individuals. The 'seer' however, thought she had meant them _together_. Harry had seem to caught on.

"Uh, excuse me but we aren't –"

"Hush!" the woman said, silencing him with a glare. "I thought you had a cold. Leave it to me, this fortune telling, and don't involve your befuddled mind…Leave it to Cassandra," she said, looking at Hermione, smiling. Maybe she _had_ heard him snort after all.

Madame Cassandra turned over a card on the far left. It had a drawing of a cat and a dog, facing backwards, looking at the moon. She smiled. "Aah…then tell me, my dear, what is your star sign?"

"Virgo. But what he said –"

Madame Cassandra cut her off. "…and his, my dear?"

"Leo," Harry answered, cooperating.

Hermione looked at him, slightly incredulous. Was Harry okay with this? She knew she was a little curious about _them_…Fine, a lot curious. But she thought Harry would be against this…

'_Well, maybe he's finally believed it's harmless as well,'_ she thought.

Madame Cassandra smiled. "Good, good…very good," she said as she counted five and turned another card beneath the first. This time, it was a picture of an exotic flower, under a sun, with rain pouring around it. Madame Cassandra knotted her eyebrows.

"Hmm, very interesting. You know, this card has been turned only twice in my life; once when a couple on their first date came in, and another time; now. The couple before you had theirs turned first, you now have it as a second. Very interesting," she said, looking at them both.

Then, counting ten –Harry read her lips- she turned over a card to her right, and sighed. The card shows two feathers, identical in each way. She still didn't tell them anything.

"Hmm, last question," she said as she looked at Harry. "What's the colour of her eyes?"

Harry looked confused. What had the colour of Hermione's eyes got to do with the future?

Madame Cassandra looked expectantly at him. So did Hermione, but on the latter's face he could see a mild confusion, the former however, made him feel as clear as glass.

"Honey-brown when she's happy, and dark chocolate when she's mad. If you look at it with the sun behind you, it looks almost amber, with hints of olive green. But when it's the other way around it's soft auburn, almost black… but only almost. Then when she's sad, you see dark…dark chestnut," Harry said as he looked into Hermione's eyes.

"And when she's confused, you see the brown lighten; like now," he added the last part, smiling. Hermione smiled too.

Madame Cassandra looked fondly at them. "It think it's time I told you what your cards mean.." she said, placing her hands on the table, palms down. She picked up the first upturned card; the cat and the dog silhouette against the moonlight. "This tells me that you've been friends for a long time," she said, smiling a little. "The cat and the dog indicates that your friendship was obtained a little out of the way than what most people do…"

Harry immediately remembered the troll incident during their first year. A little out of the way was true.

"…and the second card –" she said, picking up the card with the flower in the midst of a sunny downpour, "says you'll be facing some danger soon." Her face formed a grim smile. "What that danger is, or when it will come, I do not know. But it will affect you both," she said.

Hermione's throat constricted a little as she drew a sharp breath. A danger?

"But this card, my dear…" here she placed the third card next to the second, "assures me that at least a little if not all, will be alright. A little is more than enough, if you ask me. Normally I would never have expected this card to show up after the second…The usual thing would be the Grim…but in your case dear," she placed a hand gently on Hermione's hand, "there's a little bit of hope," she said, smiling a little.

Harry looked at Hermione. He cleared his throat a little, and gave the woman an appreciative nod. "Thank you, for reading our future…How much will that be?" he said, taking out his wallet.

Madame Cassandra held up her hands. "It's on me, dear. I've had a pleasure of reading both you and Miss Granger's future, Mr. Potter. It is a relief to know that some good will come out of this; a nice change from a tale like your father's…"

Harry's body froze. "You…you knew my father?" he asked.

"Yes…" she said, ushering them both out of her tent. " –him and your mother, the only other couple besides you both that has had the second card turned." They were now outside. "Good day, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger," she said, with a flourish of her hand. The next second, she had disappeared into her tent, leaving Harry and Hermione thinking over what she had said, outside.

---

"They're outside now; just coming out of the tent. This will be a lot easier if Potter wasn't with her right now…" A man wearing a long overcoat cast sideways glance at his target nearby.

"Potter is with her?" the voice sounded curious, excited even.

"Yes," the man answered, gritting his teeth.

"Well…Potter, eh?" The man in the overcoat could hear the smirk in the voice. "You're wrong, Albright. This will make our job _a lot _easier…"

---

"Well, what do you want to do now?" Harry asked Hermione, his hands in his pockets.

Hermione turned to look at him for a while, thinking. A sudden breeze blew from their right and strands of her hair managed to free themselves from the ponytail she wore. Harry tucked the strands away, and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, smiling.

Feeling blood begin to rush to her face, Hermione turned away, feigning to look for a place. After a while, she exclaimed. "Oh! I know…Why don't we have a drink? Butterbeer. It's been quite some time since I've had one, Harry…" she said, pointing to a small hub tucked away in a little corner.

Harry looked at Hermione, a look of peculiar observation on his face. "…And you call yourself a _witch_! Come on then, Granger…" he offered her his arm. "A witch,' he said, opening the door, 'takes Butterbeer _at least_ once a week." He smiled.

Ordering drinks from the bartender, they waited in at a table in a corner. When the drinks came, they sat in companionable silence, drinking. Hermione was looking intently at her mug, Harry had noticed. Something must be bothering her. Harry decided to ask.

"What's wrong, 'Mione?"

Looking up, she knotted her eyebrows. Something definitely was going on, Harry knew.

"Do you think what she said was true, Harry? ..About the danger…" She lowered her eyes, looking at her mug in her hands again. She knew she shouldn't be asking, especially after she told Harry herself she didn't believe in fortune-telling. But…

"I don't know…Maybe there is, maybe not." He began saying, unsure himself. "But you know what?" he said, lips beginning to form an assuring smile. "I don't think there's anything we need to worry about just yet…especially since we heard it from a woman who's name is Madame Cassandra," he finished, grinning.

Hermione smiled. "You know, this is the first time I've ever even suspect that any truth can come out of fortune-telling…and I agree with you, I don't think it's a time to start. Especially,' she said, gesturing to Harry's drink. 'that here is a chance for me to finally taste Pepperscrew Death." She took Harry's drink out of his reach and took a small sip of it. Harry raised his eyebrows at her, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Wow…" she said, returning Harry his mug. Harry chuckled.

"Well…do you like it?" He asked, genuinely curious.

Hermione coughed a bit. "It's alright…But I prefer vodka," she said, giving him a wink.

Harry laughed.

Checking her bag for a lip balm and finding it there, Hermione stood. "Oh, Harry…I have to go to the ladies' for a while… Won't be long," she added, heading for the door at the other end of the room. Harry nodded.

Feeling her chapped lips, Hermione took out her balm, and applied some on her lips. Pushing the door of the toilet open, she placed it back in her purse, checking her reflection in the mirror. Satisfied, she turned around to return to her seat. But someone was blocking her way.

"Hello, Hermione," she heard the person say.

The next second, she felt mind-blowing pain to the right of her head.

Then, all went black.

* * *

**A/N:** Cliffie! Hhahaa! XD …You want an update? Real soon? Then…REVIEW! That's all it takes! 

Hugs and kisses,

xoxox,

-**Ellie**


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